The Forgotten Case Files
by serena122189
Summary: This is a revision of Haunted Hollows.The SPR Office has gotten some new and strange cases.These Cases take them to some of the most interesting places.Cases that would have remained unsolved if not for SPR. What does that mean for our beloved team?
1. Case File One: A Samurai Dilemma Part 1

**Authors Note:**

Hi Serena122189 here,

This is a rewrite of my original (or at least I hope it is original) and first fan fiction, Haunted Hollows. Some things happened and I got off track so I am rewriting the whole thing and posting it here. I am hoping that many of my old fans will come back, and I gain new ones as well, I have several big ideas for this fan fiction. Please review, and don't be afraid to stay on me if you think I am taking too long to post.

Note: Mai has not found out about Gene yet because I wanted to do it in my own way.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ghost Hunt, for if I did there would be a season two. In addition, the history for the most part is genuine with my own touches. A.K.A the theme was there the names and story changed this way it will hopefully sound more real.

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**Case File One: A Samurai Dilemma Part 1 **

_It was dark; I was looking out over a balcony of some sort. The railing was made of some type of grey stone; it was rough and cool to the touch. From the looks of it, it was a third story balcony and I could hear the waves crashing below me. 'Wait below me?' it was then I realized I realized I was dreaming._

_'That means' I turn around to see Naru walking onto the balcony like clockwork. _

'_Right on time' I thought as he came me that soft smile he always does when he sees me. 'Why can't the real Naru smile at me like that' I idly thought. _

"_Naru?" I asked aloud wondering why he was visiting me now, when I wasn't on a case. He just lifted his arm and pointed to the left of me silently, beckoning me to look out over the water. It was then I realized there was another balcony about ten feet to the left of me, I hadn't noticed it before because I was staring out at the waves. Well that, and wondering what I was doing here in this dream world, I came to associate when I was working on a case. Working being the optimal word, because really, all I did most of the time was sleep oh and make tea. For a minute, the balcony was empty, but then a young girl walked out onto it. Her long black hair, unbound and flowing in the wind, she was of a thin build as far as I could tell maybe no older than twenty years of age. She was wearing an old-fashioned kimono. It was black, with some kind of gold design embroidering the edges that I couldn't make out from where I was standing. She seemed to be enjoying the quiet evening of the night, as I was doing. _

_For some reason I got the urge to push myself against the wall of the room behind me when another figure appeared on the balcony. I really didn't want to be noticed, something about that figure seemed menacing, his aura dark, I defiantly wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley. Whoever he was, it spelled trouble with a capital T, I just knew something was going to happen. Naru being in the dream giving me a huge hint on that factor being a murder of some sort, or something like that. Usually associated with are current case. Except this time we weren't on a case, so…_

_'I hope I'm not interrupting anything' I thought as I crouched down lower to the ground. The two of them seemed to be arguing about something I couldn't make out what though the wind and the waves were two loud. The man seemed to get more and more violent throwing his hands up in the air clearly frustrated with the woman. The woman herself backed away from him clearly frightened her tone changing from arguing to pleading. The man had none of it though and advanced on her, striking out in his anger. The force of the blow sent the woman reeling, and she toppled backwards over the railing, plunging into the sea below, her screaming soon being drowned out by the waves. The man looked over the railing, before turning around and staring right at me. _

_The Woman's screams ended when she hit the water below, there was a sicking smack, as the next wave broke against the manner wall. Then all that was left were the sounds of the waves crashing into the base of the house, and the man's eyes glowing in the darkness. I swore he was looking straight at me, like he knew I was there._

_Then taking off the balcony he disappeared back inside. _

_'Where did he go, he can't see me right' my mind babbled. _

_Then he was in front of me leering down angrily, "Your next," he barked out warningly while dragging me over to the railing, and forcing me over it, I fell screaming, the wind blaring in my ears._

**Day 1:**

I awoke screaming from the fall, it was, then I realized two things, one that I was alive and it was nothing but a dream, and two that it hadn't been the wind I heard but my alarm clock that I had heard. I reached over, to hit the off button and looked at the time.

"7:30!" I exclaimed, "I'm going to be late"

I threw the covers back and reached for the first clothes I could find. I pulled them on, as I rushed into the bathroom. Once there I grabbed my brush, and proceeded to put some kind of order to my messy hair, before pulling on a pair of shoes and running out the door.

Hi, I'm Taniyama, Mai. I am an assistant at Shibuya Psychic Research SPR for short. I have been working there a little over a year now.

I dashed down the sidewalk to the train station, bouncing up and down on my the balls of my feet impatiently as I waited for the next train to arrive.

"Naru's going to kill me" I said exasperated as the train pulled up I had ten minutes to get there, and the ride itself took about fifteen.

As soon as the doors opened, I was in the train waiting impatiently for it to start back up again. When I reached the station, I was off the train in record time, and took off running down the sidewalk. Around the corner was the office, I could see the door from where I was currently. I yanked the door open, and all but fell into the office in my haste to get into the building.

"Your ten minutes late Mai" came the sarcastic, indifferent voice that I had grown used to hearing this past year. That was Naru my boss. His real name is Shibuya Kazuya. To most around the office though, he is known by Naru. I gave him that name when I first met him, Naru, short for Narcissist.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry, I didn't hear the alarm clock go off." I explained.

"That doesn't surprise me" the dark haired youth replied, "Do you need you hearing as well as your brain checked, don't let it happen again" he ordered and walked back into his office.

'_Why that pig headed, slave-driving, narcissist!'_ I thought to myself, but before I could come up with anymore.

"Mai Tea" the familiar morning order was issued from the office.

Sighing I made mad my way into the small kitchenette and put the kettle on the stove. Some battles just won't worth fighting. While waiting for the water to to boil, I began to gather Naru's teacup and morning tea. He had to be the biggest tea drinker I had ever met. I'm not joking either, I have never seen him drink anything else. I often wondered if he would fall over and die if he ever drank anything else. What I did know though is I never wanted to be around him if he missed his morning cup. When the whistle went off signaling it was ready, I poured the steaming water into the small teapot, and let is seep. Just then, the shrill sound of the telephone rang through the office.

"Mai Phone" came the expected order.

"Mai Phone, Mai Tea, Mai your late can you say anything else. Something longer than a sentence with more than three syllables" I huffed under my breath as I went to get the phone.

"Shibuya Psychic Research, this is Taniyama Mai speaking how may I help you?" I asked when I got to the phone.

"Yes, my name is Hokkaido, Akemi and I need some help" the scared feminine voice on the other end of the line.

"Hello, Ms. Hokkaido, what seems to be the problem?" I asked patiently while I walked back to the kitchenette to pour Naru his tea.

"Well every night for the past few night's I have been having… some problems and I am afraid I am going a bit crazy. I called you hoping you could help" the voice on the other line said.

"Well I am afraid I am going to need more information than that Ms. Hokkaido, we are used to unusual stories here so don't be afraid to talk about it," I paused by her desk as she walked back into the main area, and looked down at the calendar.

"If you are uncomfortable talking about it on the phone you could always come into our office." I offered, apon hearing a relived sigh on the other end of the line I rattled off the date and time opening I found.

"How about you come to the office today around 2:30 we have an opening and you could tell us more the whole story then."

The person on the other end paused unsure, and then sighed, "Okay I can do that," she said before hanging up the phone.

Shrugging I put down the phone before heading into Naru's office.

"Here you go," I said placing the tea on his desk, smiling as usual. Of course it was all for nothing since he wasn't paying attention to me at all. He was studying whatever was in that black book of his. He merely reached for the glass and took a sip then went back to his reading.

"A thank-you would be nice you know," I scolded him.

"After all I did make it for you it is the least you can do" I huffed.

He merely looked up at me "What was the phone call about?" he asked.

I sighed, and refrained myself from rolling my eyes in his presence, just barely, some things never changed."There was a woman by the name of Hokkaido, Akemi poor thing sounded scared to death; she wouldn't talk to me on the phone though so I told her to come in at 2:30 today."

"In the future consult with me before you make such appointments again" he said coldly.

"Hey the woman was scared out of her mind; don't get all mad at me because she wouldn't talk like you wanted her to." I snapped, and stormed out the office to do some paperwork. Mostly just cataloging our recent cases and filing them away. I didn't do much at the office, but I enjoyed the work, most of the time anyways.

I looked up when I heard the door opening and a disheveled women with messy brown hair thrown back over her shoulders. She was wearing a thin light blue blouse and a pair of jeans. I glanced at the clock 2:30 exactly man she was nothing but prompt. She must be a stickler for being on time like Naru.

"Hi, welcome to Shibuya Psychic Research my name is Taniyama, Mai how can I be of service today?" I greeted her.

"Yes I spoke to you earlier on the phone my name is Hokkaido, Akemi and I have an appointment at 2:30" she said.

"Ah yes we are expecting you Ms. Hokkaido please take a seat and my boss will be with you in a minute." I said motioning to the couch and excusing myself.

"Kazuya" I called knocking on his door, using his first name to alert him of a client "Ms. Hokkaido is here to see you now"

He opened his office door, and headed out into the living room. I then proceeded to Lin's office.

"Lin-san" I said softly knocking on his door as well.

"Naru has a client in the waiting room." Once the tall Chinese man acknowledged me, I then left to go make some more tea before I was ordered too.

"Mai Tea" came Naru's voice from the front room, like I said, he drinks too much tea.

By the time, I made it back into the living room were Naru and Lin were with the client and served tea for everyone and sat down. The woman had already started her story.

"You see lately all the staff has been complaining of hearing loud voices of two people arguing. Even I myself have heard it on occasion. However, when we go to look for the ones arguing we cannot seem to find them, then we hear a high-pitched scream and everything falls eerily silent. For about ten minutes, you here nothing it is like a blanket of calm settles over the whole house. At the end of the ten minute time frame, another scream is heard," she paused and drew in a shaky breath.

'_That's horrible'_ I thought.

"This is followed by a male voice and several children crying then all is silent for the rest of the night. Only to repeat the following night in the exact same order."

She paused "Only lately it's gotten much worse. Some of the staff members have been waking up with bruises on their arms and legs in the shape of fingerprints. All of them awoke on their balcony's dangling precariously over. Two people have already fallen to their deaths, one of them a young child, and I am afraid it will get worse. Please you have got to help me," she begged.

Naru regarded the woman in front of him coolly for a minute sipping on his tea. He glanced over at the notes he had taken reviewing everything that was said, after debating for a minute, he asked, "How soon can you have us?"

I sighed in relief Naru was going to take the case before another innocent died. After a few more minutes of conversation, mostly Naru questioning the woman on the occurrences, and when the deaths were, he closed the meeting.

"We will come Friday evening then, please have three rooms available for our use and two for our staff."

The woman bowed ecstatic then hurried and left the office to prepare for their arrival.

Once Ms. Hokkaido was gone, Naru walked back to his office.

"Mai Phone the others, and inform them of our plans," Naru ordered, walking back into his office. Lin-san had already left probably to do some research on the past owners. That man was a computer whiz, how he was able to find everything he did on the histories of the places we went to was beyond me, but somehow he managed it.

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**Authors Note Continued….**

Update in progress, I will try to have an update every Saturday (This Saturday excluded of course, since it is Sat), but it all depends on schoolwork as well that comes primarily first but I will do my best I mean it this time since I am now back on track and promise to finish this off as far as it will go. Please Read and Review all comments and advice is welcomed. And Yes we will still do the bonus question. The Point system will be started over however. For those of you who may not know what I am talking about. I will ask a question at the end of the chapter. The first person who answers it correctly gets ten points, the second five the third three, and all else one. At the end of the case the winner, can help come up with the idea, or ideas for the next case, or something they want to see happening. The contest will extended however until the end of the second case, since I have already written that far. The Winner Declared Then.

_Question: What is the name of the original fan fiction I wrote before deciding to rewrite it?_

_Bonus Point: How many chapters was the original fan fiction, before the last AN?_


	2. Case File One: A Samurai Dilemma Part 2

**AN: Hey Guys, This Chapter and the following case in it's entirety has been gone over by my lovely new Beta Reader. I know things have not been going as I planed, but now that I have one thing sorted out I can start writing again YAY! The Creative Writing Class I am taking requires me to do a lot of out of class work, if your wondering. Which takes up quite a bit of time, add that to two other classes and working and yeah... I will do what I can though, hopefully this will be a good start.**

**Case File One: A Samurai Dilemma Part Two**

**Day 3: Friday**

I throw my bag in the back of the van with the rest of the equipment before shutting the trunk. Now the only thing left to do was to wait for the arrival of the others before heading out. They had already called ahead to warn us that they would be running a bit late due to the traffic jam. Actually, we were already running about ten minutes behind the scheduled time but they should be here soon….hopefully. I had escaped outside so I wouldn't have to deal with Naru.

I couldn't stay here much longer though, maybe if I went in and made him some tea he wouldn't be such a grouch. Knowing him he would be finished with is previous cup by now. Plus, with the way he hate being late he would bite my head off if he thought I was dawdling, so it's best if I make myself seem busy. That's why I came thirty minutes earlier than I usally do. If only to show him that I could.

Unfortunately all he said was, "It is amazing, you do know how to get here on time maybe you should make a habit out of it." He didn't even have the decency look from his case files while insulting me

Walking back into the office, I headed immediately to the kitchenette to pour my boss another cup of tea. When I heard two thing, first, the office door opening and two, the reason which I suspect he hired me for

"Mai Tea" **see!,** I couldn't decide if I should smile or cry that my prediction was right.

"Here you go," I said.

Drinking his tea absentmindedly Naru ordered "Call Takigawa-san and see what is taking them so long". For those who don't know Takigawa-san is the resident Monk of the team, his first name being Houshou, but most of us call him Bou-san.

Taking a deep breath, i answered patiently "I just called them five minutes ago, and they said they were stuck in traffic," because let's face it if Naru was a stickler for anything it was being on time.

"Well call them again, tell them that they can just meet us there, I won't be late on their account, give them the address and everything so they can reach the castle before dark." he ordered, "Lin, we are leaving," he hollered out.

'Impatient, rushing workaholic, you would think that he would be a little more understanding by now, but no!, everyone has to be perfect just like him' still ranting to myself I picked up the phone and Just when was about to dial Bou-san's number, I heard Naru voice "Quite dawdling there already, you are holding us! "

"I'm dawdling! You ordered me to call them," I shouted furiously it was no use though because he had already gone outside. Slamming down the phone, I stalked after him to find Naru had the door of the van open and waiting for me take my seat.

**Day 3: Friday Evening**

Mai blinked as the van pulled up to the old Hokkaido Castle. It was a typical old Japanese Castles. The base being made of solid stone, whereas the castles structure is a blend of wood and stone. It was composed of three buildings, each connected by a covered archway. A black tiled roofs in the Irimoya style in which the roofing extends out and up from each side of the rectangular structure. Partway up two of the shorter opposite sides are stopped and the remaining two continue to the top where they are joined. White wall expanding three stories high, with square windows, thought those of the uppermost storey took the shape of a pointed arch known as kato mado and had exterior balconies.

Afar, one could see the stone wall that encircled the whole property connected to the entrance gate made of thick and solid oak wood. Leading to a flagstone walkway where Mai noticed different plants such as Sakkara tree, lilac trees, orchid tree along with the beds flowers like the gorgeous bellflowers or the Lily of the Nile. Overall, it made for a breathtaking view that was impossible to breech thanks to The Sea on the rear side of the castle.

Now i understood why Ms. Hokkaido told us that the house was kept as original as possible, and why it was being converted into a hotel. The idea was to turn it into a tourist attraction without destroying the original structure. This way people could almost pretend they were back in the Warring States Era, and enjoy a slice of Japans past for a small fee of course. Well, it would be a great idea if not for the Ghosts that is, seeing, as not many guests would want to pay for a haunting experience; they were bad for business, not to mention your health – i should know seeing as i always end being targeted by them. But enough said on that moving on now, think positive happy thoughts Mai.

Lin parked the van in front of the door, and not long after Bou-san's car pulled in behind us. I smiled as he swept me up into his usual hug, before squirming.

"Bou-san I can't breathe let me go" I choked out causing him to laugh and drop me. Behind him stood Ayako the groups Shinto Priestess and Doctor, John our Catholic Priest, and Masako, a Spiritual Medium all of them looking a little worn from the long car ride.

"I sense an angry spirit lurking here" Masako proclaimed apon stepping out onto the gravel, then she attached herself to Naru arm.

"If you are done here we need to get moving before we completely lose daylight," Naru ordered still as impatient as ever, while making his way to the door, on the same time managing to extract himself relatively easily from the medium grasp. Shrugging we all followed him up as the door open to reveal Ms. Hokkaido standing there.

"I am so glad you were able to make it, I was worried for a minute there you had changed your mind and wasn't coming, but then I saw your van pull up and I was so relived." she told us, while ushering us in.

"Leave the servants to unload the boxes and bags, you can set it up later for now come in and have some dinner with us. I will show you the rooms you've requested are afterward"

The dining room was very authentic, it had several low tables pushed together to make one ling table. Alon numerous cushions littered on the tanami mat floor for us to sit on. In front of each cushion, there were three hollowed out wooden trays made of lacquered wood and stained black, I laughed silently to myself over the fact that it matched the building. On each tray, there was an assortment of food. Starting from the left there was a boiled fish. In the middle tray, there was some vegetables, rice, pickles, a small sake cup, some type of clear soup and chopsticks. On the right side was another assortment of vegetable and some more soup. We all sat down on one of the offered seats. The order went Ayako next to Bou-san, who was next to John followed by Masako, and then me, next to me was Lin followed by Naru. At the head of the table sat Ms. Hokkaido. I noted that it would have been her husband seat in the traditional Japanese table setting. Across from us there was other people of varying ages that must live in the house of. (1)

Once everyone was seated, Ms Hokkaido called out "Gohan yo! Tabemashou!" (2)

To which everyone else replied "Itadakimasu!" before beginning to eat. (3)

After dinner, everyone went into the sitting room for a cup of tea. Once settled down, we began discussing the case with Ms. Hokkaido who thanked us once again for coming.

"I was wondering if you would like some history about the castle or if you would need anything before you would retire to your rooms for the evening?" she offered politely.

Without saying anything, Naru motioned for Lin to pull out his ever present laptop so he could take notes.

"That would be most helpful to our case Hokkaido-san. If you could give us the history of the castle and were each disturbance took place together with the name of who was involved," asked Naru. Ms, Hokkaido took a small sip of her tea and then began. "Hokkaido Castle was founded in 1457 by Daki Iwate and his son Fumio under the order of Uesugi Mochitomo. In 1546, it was taken over by the Hokkaido clan until it fell again to Hideyoshi after his attack on Odawara and the Hokkaido. When the Tokugawa established their base of power at Edo, which is now known as Tokyo, Hokkaido Castle functioned as an important defensive position."(4)

She paused a minute in case anyone had any questions, with none forthcoming she took another sip of her tea and continued.

"Before the Hokkaido clan took over the castle and between the years of 1457 and 1546, in that span of eighty-six years there were a series of murders. Not much information can be found on who caused them and why, however Fuimo Iwate's first son, his wife, their five children and all the servants were found dead in there home, causing the castle to fall into the hands of the second son, Daki. It was Daki who caused the castle to fall into the hands of Katsuro Hokkaido, who in turn had the ruling lord and lady killed and the children forced into servitude." Pausing again she swallowed hard her voice started to get a little shaky as her story when on

"Since the castle fell to the Hokkaido's, every ten years and for the next century someone would die by either, suffocation, getting beaten to death, falling off a balcony, slit his/her throat, hanging and in a few rare cases decapitation. Then the castle went silent. Now i am afraid that the phenomena of people dying might start again; in fact, one servant and a child have already died within ten days of each other rather than ten years. Both of them fell off the balcony outside their rooms, their bodies were found washed ashore three days later. Neither of them had a reason to commit suicide, and both their deaths were ruled as accident by the local police. After their deaths, the shouts and screaming started to happen on a nightly basis and some of my staff had bruises that appeared on them, that's when I decided to call you".

The silence was deafening, until it was broken by Naru "I see, and in which room did these events happen?"

"Well the arguing voices and the people falling from their balcony seem only to happen on the third floor bedrooms. After the two deaths, I ordered all the servants to lock every single door and window up there and move to the second floor for their safety. The basement is where the beatings and slit throats have taken place, although nothing like that has happened yet, thank goodness. The third floor bathroom and kitchen is where the suffocation took place and there are no decapitations so far." She then proceeded to list who witnessed the events.

The list contained simple things like objects moving, seeing faces, and stuff like that. It then continued to more advances stuff, like bruises, and being locked in places for hours with 'someone'. Finally the deaths, the problem is, only powerful and vengeful spirits could kill people.

'Why do we always get stuck with the crazy- I'm- going- to- kill- you- ghosts, why can't we for once have a nice simple haunting.' I thought a trifle bit irritated, I mean i knew that if the Ghosts weren't crazy then there would be no real reason to call SPR 'but come on why do I always end being the ghost target'. My ranting was cut short by Naru voice

"I will need to further question these people tomorrow if you could send them to us one at a time and show us to our rooms now so we can set up our equipment before turning in."

"Of course right away if you would follow me please" Hokkaido- san led the SPR team to the second floor. Where they were given three connecting rooms, with The boxes neatly settled in the middle one. "I hope it's to your liking," Ms Hokkaido said.

"This will be fine," Naru said and started giving his order "Mai begin setting up the shelves, Takigawa-san can you begin setting up the monitors and unpacking the cameras and microphones, Matsuzaki-san help him. John and Hara-san please make a sweep of the castle and tell us what you can sense." Turning to his assistant, he said. "Mai when you're done with the shelves get the temperature reading of all the rooms, and take Takigawa-san with you. After the monitors are set, I want Matsuzaki-san, and John to set up the cameras and mikes in the hot spot rooms Takigawa-san and Mai can help when they are finished with temperature readings. When this is done we can retire." He said in a no nonsense voice. With that said, he began to help hooking up the monitors that had been unpacked from the supplies.

Once the shelving units were up, I called to Bou-san while grabbing a temperature gage and the clipboard with the list of rooms on it.

"Shall we get to it?" I said walking out the door. "I think that we should start at the bottom and work our way up it would be easier." I commented while walking down the stairs.

"That's fine Mai-chan as long as you don't get hurt, I don't want to deal with a tea-less Naru tomorrow," teased Monk with a mock shiver.

"Hey no fair I don't get hurt that often" I wined at him.

"Sure you don't, you only have been possessed, fallen down countless stairs, had a curse cast on you, fallen down into wells…" he let the list trail off.

"It's not always my fault" I tried to defend myself.

"I know it's not. You just run into trouble without thinking, you are lucky Naru's always there to save you" he continued to tease me as I blushed bright red.

"He only does it because it saves him from having to break in a new assistant," I muttered, while taking down the last temperature on the list.

"All done" I told him "let's head back to the base."

Once back, all the camera's and mic's had already been set up it would seem we had taken longer than we originally thought.

'_All that's left now was to get some sleep; we would start the formal investigation in the morning'_ I thought while yawning.

I had barely closed my eyes in the bedroom I shared with Ayako and Masako that I already was off in dreamland.

_I was walking __down a long hallway. The floors were made of some kind of wood and the walls lined __with six f_oot Tall three Panel Cherry Blossom Shoji Screen 6 Foot Tall 3 **Panel** Cherry Blossom **Shoji Screen** 6 Foot Tall 3 **Panel** Cherry Blossom **Shoji Screen** 6 Foot Tall 3 **Panel** Cherry Blossom **Shoji Screen**_that were firmly closed, I could see the torches were beginning to sputter out in their brackets indicating how late it was. Sliding the door at the end of the hallway open i could see that it was a bedroom. The walls were creamy white. The floor was a dark cherry wood. Walking into the room. I clutched the sleeping yukata tighter to myself to ward off some of the evening chill. At first, the room seemed empty, but apon closer inspection i could see another figure standing in the room with me_

"_Where did you wander off to so late at night Clarice," the voice asked._

"_Just to the bathroom koishii, I didn't mean to wake you" I responded. _

_Moving past him onto the balcony__, he followed me out. (5) _

"_You were gone a long time I was worried," he said. _

"_I went to the kitchen afterwards to get a drink Takao," I said getting a little frustrated with his overbearing attitude. This caused him to throw his hands up and start raising his voice. _

"_Well what am I supposed to do Clarice when my wife disappears from my bed-chamber in the middle of the night and has been gone for over an hour, your cheating on me aren't you" he accused. _

_Backing__ away, I tried to plied with him_ "_No it's nothing like that at all" I told him crying _

_"I just couldn't sleep that's all__"_

"_Then why did you go into Taro's bed chambers, you're in love with him aren't you? How many of our kids are really mine tell me that. You have been visiting him for a while now I have proof. The maids have seen you. What about our third son, he looks a lot like Taro is he his answer me." He yelled as he continued advancing toward me until I my back was pressed to the balcony railing. _

"_None Takao I don't know what you are talking about, please calm down, I have always been faithful," I begged him._

"_Lies!" he exclaimed and smacked me hard across the face sending me tumbling over the edge of the balcony my screams filled the still night air. _

"_Traitors all of you," he said out loud "None of you traitors deserve to live"_


	3. Case File One: A Samurai Dilemma Part 3

**Case File One: A Samurai Dilemma Part Three**

**Day 4: Friday Afternoon**

I sat at the wooden table with Naru and Lin, across from us one of the maids that had some of the strange occurrences happen to her. Everyone know what to do; Naru would interview her, Lin was assigned with typing her answer, and I have the job of emotional support aka refilling the tea.

'Why do I never get the useful jobs?' I looked up as the maid began to tell her story.

"I heard screaming and I woke up in my bedroom. After a while, everything fell silent. Curious I got up and opened my chamber door. I had noticed the door at the end of the hallway open, which is strange because no one occupies that room." She took a deep breath clearly shaken by what she saw.

"I peeked into the room to see who was in there and found a man standing in front of me, with his back turned, he was facing the balcony muttering under his breath I couldn't catch what he was saying. He then turned around and lunged towards me, I was scared so I ran back to my room and slammed the door shut and locked it. Only then did I realize he wasn't behind me, but I was too scared to go back and check it out. After a couple of hours, I managed to fall back asleep, but in the morning I had hand like bruises around my neck. This happened two days ago."

She then pulled off the scarf she was wearing to show us her bruises. They were a dark purple color, each finger making a distinct impression so you couldn't mistake it for anything else but a hands.

"I see" was all Naru said, before dismissing her. He then turned to the SPR team and spoke again, "What do you think we are dealing with here?" he asked everyone for his or her opinions on the case.

"It's obviously an earth bound spirit a simple prayer should dispel it and have the problem solved." Ayako popped in with her usual suggestion.

This caused Bou-san to laugh aloud "How many time have we heard that one before," he said sarcastically.

Ayako bristled at the comment, "Oh, then what do you think it is?" she challenged him. "I never saw you make any speculations."

"I don't know," he said after a moment before shrugging, "But I bet you ten to one it isn't an earth bound spirit, you wouldn't know an earth bound spirit if it came up and kicked you in the rear" he teased her.

sigh, there they go again. It was like this every time Naru asked for their opinions, sometimes I wonder if he just do it for the entertainment purposes of watching them fight. I rolled my eyes as their fighting escalated, and glanced over to John who was busy talking to Masako completely ignoring the argument. Lin was busy doing some type of research on his computer, and Naru just watched the proceedings.

Looking the chiness man Naru finally Naru spoke "Lin was there anything from the camra's or mic's last night?" he asked,

"No" came his response "though the temperature in the last bedroom dropped two degrees last night around ten" he commented, " But the temerature outise droped around the same time so its normal."

turning to the spirit medium, he asked "Hara-san did you sense anything while walking yesterday?"

"One very vague spirit I couldn't get a lock on it to tell what it was though," she responded.

"Looks like our spirit is very shy then, have you found anything new about the previous owners?" he asked Lin again.

"Nothing more than what we already know." Lin commented, "Just like Hokkaido-san said, very little was known about the people or why they died around that time seeing…" he broke off as high pitched female scream permeated the air them.

Ayako and Bou-san immediately stopped their fight. Both of them heading for the door along with John to see what the scream was about, meanwhile, Lin spun around to check the monitors and see if he could spot the source of the disturbance on one of the screens.

"Naru!" Lin exclaimed, pointing to the second monitors from the left, before taking off after bou-san and the others, leaving Masako and me alone with strict orders not to leave the base.

Curious I looked at said monitor wanting to know what all the fuss was about. What I saw caused me to gasp. There in the kitchen was the maid we had talked to this afternoon. She was hanging by a thin rope, swaying slowly back and forth. Her face a pale pasty white, her eyes open wide in terror. Behind her written in her own life's blood, was the word 'Traitor', in big capital letters.

All at once, the dream I had from last night came back to me, I had all but forgotten about it until now. However, once the dream sequence had played itself in my head again, it was followed by several images not from the original dream. These were all of deaths similar to this one. I stood there trembling, just staring at the monitor in shock, watching numbly as Naru and the rest of the team arrived at the kitchen, and escorted the distraught maid that found the corpse out, but I wasn't really comprehending any of it. I was trapped in a sea of images, without my notice tears began to drip down my cheeks, as Masako unsuccessfully kept trying to get my attention, and asking me what was wrong.

All I could hear were the screams of the ones that had died before I was born ringing in my ears. All of them demanding that something be done about their unjust deaths and showing me what happened to them. Their tormenting cries beating down on me, commanding my attention, commanding me to watch, but most of all commanding me to help them. I would not rest until I do as they bid. They vowed it, they would get their justice at last. I was to help them…

**Masako P.O.V**

I looked at the monitors in shock as the girl from earlier was hanged from the kitchen rafters. It was then that i realized that Mai was whimpering and seamed lost in her own thoughts, her back was turned to me so I couldn't see her face clearly.

'Is it possible she had a dream she hasn't spoken about yet' I briefly wondered, while I set about trying to get her attention.

"Mai" I called gently, shaking her shoulder lightly. When she didn't respond I shook her harder, and called louder but she still didn't respond. I put myself directly in front of her, and noticed tears streaming down her face. Her eyes had a faraway almost glazed look in them, she clearly wasn't in the room now, but off in some other area of the universe where she went for her strange information gathering, but it seemed different this time. The air felt cooler, somehow off around her. It was heavier and thicker, almost like she was surrounded by some unseen force, it made me reluctant to touch her again in fear of getting pulled into whatever she was enduring.

'What's going on here' I idly wondered, as i observed Mai's body start to shake slightly, her eyes glazing over further and her whimpers becoming more prominent.

'This is just great I have to play nursemaid and babysitter now' I thought, looking around I noticed that there was a hand-held radio in the room and it was on.

"Naru" I barked into the radio, praying that he had carried the other radio. When I heard an affirmative answer on the other end of the line I was somewhat relived I really didn't want to play nursemaid to the girl, besides what she saw could be important to the case. The sooner it was solved the sooner I could work on getting Naru to like me as well. I had already concluded that it would be hard to get said attention while he was working, so I decided to threw all of my efforts outside the work environment.

"There's something wrong with Mai, she's not answering me, but she keeps staring at the monitor and shaking, the air around her seems off. I think it might have sparked something." The radio buzzed again, and then Naru's figure hurriedly left from the camera. Which left Bou-san, John, and Lin with the task of removing the body and cleaning the area of the blood, meanwhile Ayako was left with the job of consoling the other maid that found the body.

**Naru's P.O.V**

I was in the kitchen trying to figure out why the maid I had talked to earlier would hang herself, and the meaning behind the word traitor. I was considering possession since she didn't strike me as the type of person to commit suicide, when Hara-san's voice cut into my thoughts. Mai was acting strange, and wasn't reacting to her voice or touch at all. This had me deeply concerned, after all if something happened to Mai who would make my tea. At least that's what I told myself as I rushed back to the base. I found her there staring at the monitor that was now void of the dead body.

The word Traitor was not that fresh and started drying on the wall, where Lin was busy trying to remove it, John was scrubbing the floor, and Takigawa-san was missing probably taking care of the dead body. Putting both hands on her shoulders, I forcibly steered her shaking form away from the monitor, to the nearby desk chair guiding her to sit down, before she could collapse. Hara-san was right, the air around her was off.

"Mai" I called softly making her look at me. Hearing her name, sparked a brief awareness in her eyes, her lips kept trembling as if trying to say something, but then her eyes glazed back again. I could feel a steady hum in the air around her which confounded me, whatever this thing was it had a firm hold on her and wasn't planning of letting go anytime soon, 'Time to try another tactic' I thought to myself after all this was familiar seeing as I had done it before.

"Mai, What are you seeing?" I asked putting some authority in my voice but keeping it soft so as not to startle her anymore.

**Mai's P.O.V**

I was vaguely aware when Naru came into the room and steered me into a chair of some sort. In fact, it didn't even surprise me when I saw his piercing gaze enter my line of vision and calling to me. I wanted to answer him I really did, but I kept seeing different flashes of images all jumbling around in my brain. It was hard to form a coherent thought let alone a sentence. I couldn't break free, they wouldn't let me go.

Then he called me again this time with a bit more authority in it. His voice forced its way into my jumbled brain compelling me to tell him what I was seeing and I responded without any conscious thought, I had to answer that voice. Answering would mean I could be free, answering would mean they would leave me in peace.

"So much blood" I whispered, my voice coming out ominously, not sounding like me at all.

I heard Naru's voice querying again, about what I meant.

"He killed them all," I said barely wispering, "He killed every last one of them, He killed them because he was betrayed, Traitors, all of them Traitors he believed, they didn't deserve to live in his eyes. He said that as he sliced them, he claimed that as he strangle, declared it as he beat and murdered them, he yelled it as he pushed them, all of them to their deaths" My voice shook as I uttered the last part, I was exhausted, I had no more energy, all I wanted was to sleep.

"He won't stop until he kills them all." I finished focusing briefly on Naru's concerned face, before I blacked out as the images I kept seeing finally stopped, letting me rest.

**Naru's P.O.V**

After she blacked out, Mai slumped forwards barely giving me the time to caught her before she hit the floor. The strange prescience that had surrounded her had vanished. Mind buzzing I keep trying to absorb what she had just claimed, while at the same time worrying about the girl in my arms. I picked her up absent-mindedly and carried her to the room she shared with the others. After i placed Mai on her bed, and pulled the covers over her I was finally able to calm down. I was so concerned about her well-being that I couldn't concentrate on anything else. But now even thought I might never understand what happened to her, I do know one thing, and that's if the spirits chose her as their messenger she won't be able to get any rest.

At that moment, she reminded me so much of my brother what's with the way she responded to whatever it was that she saw. She even responded to my voice the way Gene did.

A simple soft command was all it took and she had talked, and as she talked she calmed down and whatever that had a hold of her was able to let go satisfied it had got their message across. Tought, Until the shock wore off I can't use any of it to help us with the case, it was nothing more than a jumble of sentences, But the sooner I could solve the case the sooner she wouldn't be plagued with whatever just happened. I made a mental not to have Lin compile and review the history on all the male figures that lived in the house during the period of time before the attacks started.

One thing I was sure of though as I carefully brushed a few stray locks out of Mai's face was that I needed to solve this case very soon before whatever happened to her occurre again. And it would, whether Mai wish it or not, the spirits of this castle wanted their story told and they just found the vessel to tell it. Why her and not Hara-san, I had no idea. What I know is that if her ability start to turn out the way Gene's did that she won't be able to rest soundly for very long until the spirits were satisfied.

This could just be a freak occurrence though, so I wasn't going to worry about it too much until I could find some more evidence that support that idea. And If it turned out that way she would just have to be trained, it was as simple as that really. Reluctantly I got up to leave the room and inform the others of what had occurred. They would be wanting to know what had happened to Mai.

**Mai's P.O.V**

'_Traitors all of them Traitors!' The thought kept reverberating around me stealing my peace and quiet 'Not this again' I moaned._

_Brief flashes of jumbled images danced before my eyes yet again commanding my attention. I distinctly felt each of the blows to my body from__ the punches and kicks to the stomach, chest, face, and back. I felt big warm hands hold my neck and squeez cutting off my air supply while I clawed futilely at it. I felt the knife sliding over my skin slicing the delicate soft tissue of my stomach and watched as my life's blood began to drain out and felt myself go weak. I felt the knife digging into my neck pulling, tearing, slicing and sawing until my head rolled free. I felt the rope tighten around my neck as I swung back and forth trying to alleviate the presure it created. Not being able to take any more I opened my mouth and screamed, pleaded and begged for it to stop. Anything so long as the pain went away. It was then that Naru appeared before me, grabbing me and pulling me close to his body, shielding me form the images that surrended me. He muttered nonsense words in my ear in an effort to sooth and distract me and when I looked around me again the images had vanished. _

"_Are you okay?" dream Naru asked concerned, I had deducted it was a dream since Naru never showed his concern in real life._

"_I am now" I told him, leaning back against him for support "What was all that?" I questioned him shivering, and was pleased when his arms came up to wrap around me "Don't worry about it, all will be revealed in time I promise you" he told me while gazing down at me softly. _

"_Naru" I complained not liking the way he was withholding information. He just smiled at me, _

"_Your powers are growing Mai, don't worry things will make more since later." He told me as if that should explain it all, "You need to wake up now though, your friends are beginning to worry" his hand gently touching my forehead, he smiled one last time "Wake up now Mai" he told me and the world again went black._

_**Gene's P.O.V**_

_She was gone__, I sighed, but she wasn't even supposed to be here this time anyways. I didn't expect her to start crying. I remembered rushing over to her, and sheltering her from the images the castle spirits had bombarded her with all the while feeling helpless since it was the only thing I could do. I was so glad that they went away at my presence and finally left her alone for now. I still hated the fact she called me Naru, but I couldn't tell her who I really was. I was bound against it. I couldn't speak of it until she had figured it out on her own or was told by someone else. Still though it hurt that she think I'm some short of dream, and if that wasn't enought she keep calling me a name that isn't my own._


	4. Case File One: A Samurai Dilemma Part 4

**Case File One: A Samurai Dilemma Part Four**

**Day 5**

**Naru's P.O.V**

I sat next to Mai bedside. I had been there off and on ever since yesterday incident that took place in the afternoon. Try as I might I couldn't concentrate on my book, instead my gaze kept wondering back to the sleeping girl form. Had it been any other person I wouldn't be sitting there right now like I was.

But, seeing **it's** her, I brought my books, sat patiently, and waited for her to wake up. I took notes and gave the necessary orders from within the room confinement, all the while monitoring her health. Where I might shrug off the others glances with cold disdain, and keep them at arm's length, this slip of a girl had gotten through all my shields. My protection against any more emotional pain where meaningless against her, and before I know it she had wormed her way into my affection.

Which is why I sat there staring at her, under the pretence of 'well someone has to do it' excuse. It's my cover- a thin one - and I'm sticking to it. No one knew how much I cared for her, and no one would know how much she held my attention. I was not ready to open up yet; I was not ready to feel again not after everything that had happened, so I kept it to myself.

Oh Mai, look what you do to me, wake up, and please wake up soon.

_-FLASHBACK-_

_I __was just done telling everyone what had happened to Mai. When a worried Ayako rushed into their shared bedroom to check the sleeping girl over. The rest of us were waiting outside to give her some space to run the needed test. She was a doctor after all._

_Each__ one of us was contemplating what Mai could have seen, heard, and felt to react the way she did. That is when it happened. Mai's screams and pleas and the begging that followed, echoed throughout the living area, it caused our blood to run cold. _

_In one single moment, we were all in the bedroom to see what was going on. I shoved my way to the front of the group in an effort to see what was wrong.__ I saw was Mai thrashing on the bed and Ayako trying to hold her down so that she wouldn't accidently hurt herself. God, each one of Mai's screams, and pleas, echoed more desperate, and heart wrenching than the last one._

_Then__ it was over, just as it had suddenly started, Mai was resting peacefully as if nothing had happened. At that moment, all of us agreed, not to leave Mai alone in case this happened again._

_-END FLASH BACK-_

That had been yesterday, and here she was still sleeping. The others were running around performing various exorcisms on different rooms, thinking that once the spirit was gone Mai would wake up.

strangely enough, Hara-san had agreed to help, but then Mai and her seemed to be getting along a lot better recently. Lin had thrown himself into his research looking for answers and helping in his own way. While no one openly admitted it, Mai was the one that had brought all of them together. We were all lost without her. It was amazing how much one girl had touched our lives.

Naturally, everyone would feel better if Mai would just wake up already. Ayako had assured me that she was fine, that she was merely sleeping off the effect of whatever it was that had a hold of her. That Mai would wake up once she was rested, but I was still worried.

I was afraid that she would go into another fit; I had seen my brother have one before when the spirits were particularly forceful in having their story told.

The way she had screamed… I shook my head violently to clear the thought, and rose to walk to her bedside.

"Come on Mai" I told her bending over to brush a lock of hair out of her face,

"You have to wake up now everyone is worried about you… even I am… wake up please," I whispered. Not caring if I was exposing myself, if me having to feel again is what it take for her to wake up then i wouldn't mind, I had do anything for her, it was startling realization. How much Mai meant to me.

**Day 6: Evening**

**Mai's P.O.V**

I groaned as I emerged from the depths of sleep. My body felt stiff and achy, the bright light of the room was causing my eyes water. They were so used to darkness that it hurt.

"Mai!" a voice exclaimed, before a dark head appeared in my line of vision.

"N-Naru?" I croaked my throat feeling dry and scratchy, as I blinked trying to focus on the person in front of me.

'Is it just me or does he look very relived.' I wondered while I tring to sit up, my head was spinning with the sudden movement, I would have slumped back if he wasn't there to support me.

"Easy Mai, you have been unconscious for two days now," Naru chided, gently as he helped me rest my back against the head bored.

"Two days?" still confused, I rasped back brokenly 'was this another dream, Naru is acting different from usual'

He sighed before disappearing from my view for a moment. I heard the water running then he was back handing me a cup of water, "Here drink this it will help," he commanded.

I accepted the small glass shyly, 'Yup defiantly a dream' I concluded.

'I mean the real Naru would never act this caring'

"Thank-you" I told him, quickly giving him a hug and a peck on the cheek, before giggling at his shocked and wide-eyed expression.

"What" I told him "I'm not allowed to hug you anymore?".

"You did?" he asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.

"Oh course I have hugged you before, you are my dream after all, shouldn't know this already?" it was my turn to look puzzled now.

"You dream of me?" he asked, his expression going blank.

"Yes," I said more puzzled than before, "All the time, you help me with the dreams I have when we are on a cases, did you hit your head or something?" I asked.

"Or something…,"he echoed back his face carefully composed.

I scratched my head in confusion and looked at him strangely, before shrugging it off, "So what do you have to show me about this time?"

"I don't know Mai you tell me why I am here?" Naru asked me sounding curious.

"Is this some sort of test, you only show up in my dreams when you need to show me something partaining to the case," Now I was getting slightly annoyed with him.

Naru sighed heavily, "Go back to sleep Mai, we will talk more later, you're obviously still confused," he said as he left the room, shutting the door softly behind him.

"I'm confused," I grumbled, "I'm not the one with the memory loss," I muttered before yawning and sliding back down into the bed closing my eyes. Little did I know that less than five minutes later Naru re-opened the door and took up his watchful position in the chair a thoughtful look adorning his face.

**Naru's P.O.V**

I sat there staring at her as she drifted back to sleep. I really should go telll the other that Mai woke up, but I couldn't help pondering on our conversation.

'She dreams of me' I thought smugly a small smirk crossing my face 'It's only natural, after all I am good looking'.

'But why me, what do I have to do with her dreams, and how come she has never mentioned it before? I wonder how am i the key to her dreams?'

All these questions and much more were swimming around in my head. I was relived, no, ecstatic that she had woken up, still I couldn't help feeling a little bit disappointed that she confused me with a dream.

'But, she had kissed' I thought smugly. Granted it was on the check, but she had hugged me too. Did she also do this in her dreams, and if so what did it all mean, what did she dream about. She said our cases, but still I could not help being curious.

**Day 7: Afternoon**

I yawned as I opened my eyes and stretched. "Mai!" A voice exclaimed.

'Whoa talk about déjà vu' except this time the voice was not Naru but an over enthusiastic Bou-san instead. Before I knew it, I was sized up in one of his crushing hugs.

"B-Bo-Bou-san" I coughed, beating weakly at his chest. He laughed, dropping me back on the bed, while I gasped for breath.

"Jeesh don't go knocking her unconscious again." Ayako said shoving the monk out of the way to get a good look at me.

"It's good to see you awake, you had everyone worried, being out for three days," she said sitting on the bed side and pulled me into her own hug.

"Three days?" I asked, that sentence somehow seemed wrong to me, but I could not place it.

"Yeah three days you had us all scared there kiddo," Bou-san said, reaching over and ruffling my hair.

"Hey how come I wasn't told that Mai-chan had woken up" complained John as he came into the room.

"I was coming to see what all the noise was about, it's a good thing you're up Mai-chan you can make Naru his tea now so he can stop being so grumpy," he joked good naturedly with the girl.

"Yeah I had offered to make him some, but he turned me down saying I wouldn't be able to make it right," another voice said.

"That's because, last time you tried you almost burned the kitchen down Hara-san" Naru's voice floated through the open door. Behind him, Lin offered her a small smile showing his relief in his own quite way.

'Yup still the same old Naru' I thought.

"I'm sorry that I worried everyone so much I don't know what came over me" I said aloud.

Everyone cleared a space and Naru pulled up a chair beside my bed, Lin followed him, opening up his ever present laptop.

"Mai, I need you to tell me everything you saw," he ordered, while looking at me expectedly.

I shuddered remembering some of the images I witnessed "Do I have to say everything" I wined not ready to re-live some of those ghastly images yet.

"Yes that's usually how it works, if you leave some parts out then we won't be able to solve the case, I can put fact together more quickly than you, so unless you think you can solve the case yourself…" he left the sentence hanging.

I squirmed in the bed knowing he was right. Flickering my gaze from him I surveyed the room, before returning my gaze back to Naru, drawing strength from his calm appearance.

"It first started as a simple dream," I began,

"I hadn't remembered it at the time until after the maid was killed. In my dream a man, Takao, pushed his wife Clarice off their balcony; while accusing her of being a Traitor.

I remembered it because it didn't sound like a Japanese name to me but an English one. Anyways Takao had thought his wife was cheating on him with his friend, Taro. He asked her if she had been faithful only to him, he claimed one of their children looked a little like Taro.

Clarice denied the claim strongly, but he didn't believe her. He called her a traitor, and hit her causing her to fall off of the balcony" I paused, gathering my strength together to tell the next part.

"I had woken up at that part of the dream. However, when I stared at the word traitor different images started appearing. It was as if I had turned on a TV. I think he went a little crazy after he killed his wife. I saw flashes of him storming through the castle to Taro's room with a sword in his hand. Then he dragged his friend down to the basement and handed him a sword demanding satisfaction over the fact that Taro had slept with Clarice.

Taro wouldn't fight him though, and begged for mercy, but Takao wouldn't listen though and decapitated him." I paused fidgeting a little bit.

"The sword wasn't sharp, it was very dull. Taro was in a lot of pain before he passed, I felt it clearly. But it was no more disturbing than the pure satisfaction Takao felt killing his best friend"

Somewhere in the room, I heard Masako gasp at the thought of living someone else death, but this had not been the first time it had happened to me.

"From there he left Taro's body, and went back upstairs to his children's room. He sliced the troat and slashed the stomache of three of his children, for the most part their deaths was relativity quick and painless, that is if you consider death painless. The youngest was five years old and a perfect picture of her mother; she was thrown off the balcony. The little boy that he thought was Taro's was decapitated with the same dull blade that killed Taro. By this time most of the servants have fled. The ones that didn't he killed them convinced that they were on in his wife's unfaithfulness. He either beat them to death or strangled them."

After he was done he used his children's blood to paint the word 'Traitor' on the kitchen wall and then he hung himself refusing to live in a world full of traitors" when i finished I had tears streaming down my face.

"I experienced each and every death as if it was my own it was terrible." I choked out before bursting out crying into Ayako's shoulder.

The whole room was silent. No one knowing what to say about a man who had single handedly killed his wife, children, the sevants and his best friend all in one night.

"Did his wife really cheat on him?" Naru asked at last.

"I don't know, all I know is that he thought she did, based on the fact that some servants had seen her visit his best friend room several times, but Taro neither denied nor admitted if it was true." I sobbed.

"I see" was all he said as he walked out of the room leaving consoling Mai to those better suited for the job. In the base Naru and Lin started planning their course of action.

**Day 8: Evening**

Back at the base, i waited apprehensively. Having found out the name and motive of the spirit, we have decided how we will exorcize it. We come up with three plausible locations for the spirit to reside in. Usually we were more precise than that, but the ghost was good at masking his presence from us so we decided to hit the most likely locations; The kitchen, the basement, and the room where Takao pushed his wife to her death.

Naru had sent Bou-san to the kitchen, Ayako to the basement, and John to the bedroom, each room was equipped with a camera and a mic so we could hear and watch the proceedings. The us being Naru, Masako, Lin, and I. The plan was to start the exorcisms simultaneously and drive the spirit out into the open.

From there whoever was the closest to te ghost would finish the job. Before John and the others left, Naru made Ayako put sutras all around the base to keep the spirits out of there.

"The last thing we need is for you to experience anymore episodes," Naru told me when he had handed me the sutras to hang up. Now all that was left was to get rid of the Takao.

"Everyone in position?" Naru asked, after receiving three yes, he gave the order to begin.

**In the kitchen**

On the screen, Bou-san began his mantra, "On sunba nisunba un bazara un hatta jaka un ban koku On dakini shara kyara heigi yaya chigi yaya nei naumaku san manda botanan, on dakini"

**In the basement**

Ayako started her prayer "I reverently pray for thy presence. Degin to ensconce thyself in this unhallowed place, and purify it's many vessels. I ask that my humble plea may be heard, that peace and calm may be granted unto this place. May this place be as the High, Heavenly Plain. May the kami from all around come together. Praise be to the goddess Marishiten. I pray thee descend, and grant us thy divine protection."

**In the bedroom**

John began reading from his bible "Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word was in the beginning with God. All things were made by the Word; and without the Word was not any thing made that was made. In the Word was life; the Word was in the world, and the world was made by the Word, and the world knew not the Word. The Word came unto his own, and his own received him not. But to as many who have received the Word…"

**In the base**

We watched as bou- san, Ayako and John finshed their exorcism However nothing happened.

"Hey Naru?" Bou-sans voice came through the radio. "Nothing happened in my area"

"Nor mine" piped in John's voice,

"Nor, Ahhhhh!" Ayako's voice was cut off. Naru's eyes jumped to the monitors, to see Ayako being suspended in the air.


	5. Case File One: A Samurai Dilemma Part 5

_-Flashback-_

"_Nor, Ahhhhh!" Ayako's voice was cut off. Naru's eyes jumped to the monitors, to see Ayako being suspended in the air._

**Case File One: A Samurai Dilemma Part Five**

**Day 8: Evening**

At Ayako's scream, Naru quickly dispatched Bou-san, and John to the basement, both of them being closer than we were. Not wanting to see my friend hurt I took off out of the room.

"No Mai! Wait!" called Naru, but I was already out the door, leaving them no choice but to follow me.

As soon as I stepped foot outside the base, the spirits began to assault me again.

'_**Help us'**_ they demanded their voices echoing inside of my head.

'_**Look what he did, we did not deserve this fate' **_and__on the complaints went, as I forced myself to keep moving. If I stopped and dwelled on what the spirits were trying to say and do, I would never get free of them, and Ayako might suffer because of it.

Down the corridor, taking the left fork, I sprinted down the stairs in record time. Ahead of me was the basement the old dilapidated wooden door left open. I was in a section of the castle that had yet to be fixed.

"Naumaku san manda bazaradan kan!" Bou-san's voice yelled. Resulting in Takao spirit let a high-pitched scream; wanting nothing more than to get away from the stinging mantra the ghost tossed Ayako on the monk. The force of the throw knocked them against the back wall, where they collapsed unmoving.

"Bou-san! Ayako!" I yelled as I rushed over to them heedless of the spirit in the room with us. A distant slam followed by banging noises caused me to look up. The basement door had slammed shut, effectively trapping me in here with Ayako, Bou-san and John, not to mention Takao.

'Just great' I thought as I continued to Bou-san's side.

'_**Help us, save us we did not deserve to die, revenge our deaths young one'**_ the spirits started up again.

'Why me, Why does it always have to be me'

I kneeled in front of the unconscious monk, lightly slapping his face to get him more coherent.

"Come on Bou-san you can't sleep now, we're about to get in trouble." I urged him worriedly, as John fumbled for his bible.

The moment I felt Takao hands on my neck I knew I had done something stupid again. I stood there in shock unable to move, my mind instantly going blank of every protective mantra I knew. Between the clamor of the spirits wanting revenge for their unjust deaths, and my own fear, I was frozen and helpless.

With Lin, Naru and Masako stuck behind the basement door, there would be no help for me this time unless John hurried up.

John, I did not really know what was taking him so long, but I knew he needed to hurry. Slowly ever so slowly, the ghost cold hand turned me around to face him.

"Rin!" I started, suddenly remembering one of them, only to have my back slammed roughly against the wall. The base of my skull cracking hard with the contact causing me to let out a pained yelp as I fell to the floor dazedly.

Weakly I tried to get my mouth to form the protective charm again "R -" , only to have a repeat introduction to the wall. I could feel my vision going dark, as I slumped on to the floor, too weak to fight anymore my body gave out and I lost consciousness.

**Naru P.O.V**

"Bou-san! Ayako!" Mai had called out, foolishly running into the room with the spirit. Both Lin and I moved to follow her inside, only to be met face first with a closed door. Unperturbed I moved to the handle turning it to push the door open but it would not budge.

"Mai!" I screamed slightly panicked when I heard a loud noise followed by her pained yelp. I banged at the door in an effort to get it open.

"Our Father who art in heaven…" I heard John's voice over the ruckus in the room, followed by another loud band and a painful yelp by Mai. This time when both Lin and I shoved at the door, it caved in being no match for us in our desperate need to get inside.

Before me laid a horrible scene, Mai was on the floor, John was continuing his exorcism standing over the limp girl shielding her from Takao's wrath. She seemed to be unconscious, blood staining the ground around her in a dark forbidding pool. I wanted so badly to go to her but even I knew better than to interfere with an exorcism.

Over in the corner laid an unconscious Takigawa and Matsuzaki-san they looked unconscious but neither of them was as battered as Mai. That stupid girl seemed the only one hurt (as always). Blood ran down the back wall showing how she got hurt, a pained filled scream bought my attention back to the exorcism. Takao angered by the attempt to get rid of him lunged at John, but each time he would get close, John would flick more holy water at him driving him back and away from him.

"In principio" he finished reading, and closed his bible with a snap. Takao was enveloped in a white light; issuing one last painful scream before vanishing.

After making sure the ghost was truly gone, I rushed over to where John was kneeling down beside Mai. Hara-san followed me, while Lin went to go check on the others.

Gently I pulled her up, careful to support her head to prevent further injury. From what I could see her back was badly scraped up from the wall,luckily nothing fatal, the only thing we had to worry about at most was a concussion.

Where her shirt was not torn, the fabric was becoming quickly stained with her blood, but I would take a ruined shirt over a fatal injuries any day though. Carefully I stood up trying not to jostle her. If she did not suffer from a concussion, blood loss would be the next thing to worry about, but the scrapes did not look too deep.

"John call an ambulance" I ordered and watch as the blond haired youth dashed in front of me up the stairs to make a phone call. With Mai securely held in my arms I folowed behind him, leaving Lin and Hara- san to deal with the Monk and Priestess.

As I reached the top of the stairs, Mai began to stir, and I heard the ambulance in the distance. while I waited for the Paramedics, I sank on a nearby couch, supporting her gently as she came around. I could feel her warm life's blood seep through my shirt, probably ruining it, but that did not matter to me. What mattered the most was the girl in my arms and making sure, she was safe.

**Mai's P.O.V**

As I came to, I was aware I was resting against something warm. I moved around trying to determine what the object was but each movement caused me pain, and the pain worsened the throbbing in my head.

"Be still Mai" a calm voice that could only belong to Naru ordered. His close proximity caused me to blush and wonder if he was the one holding me.

Slowly I opened my eyes a little disorientated about my surroundings, but my suspicions were confirmed nonetheless, I was sitting in Naru's lap, his arms gently cradling and steadying me. The distant sound of an ambulance siren meant someone had been hurt. And Judging from the fact my back felt like it was on fire, I guessed it must have been me… again.

What surprised me the most was the fact that Naru was holding me. My overbearing, narcissistic, handsome, slave-driving, sexy boss was holding me, and had a look of genuine concern on his face. Was I dreaming? I was tempted to pinch myself and find out, but I did not think that would be received well.

"Where am I?" I asked at last.

"In the living room the ambulance is almost here, try not to move around too much." He told me.

Just then, the Paramedics came around the corner, and whisked me away to treat my injuries. Two more went to the basement where John had directed them to check Ayako and Bou-san.

"She was knocked unconscious after she hit the wall," Naru told one of the paramedics who nodded before relaying the information to the others.

"What is your name?" one next to me asked, while another cut open the back of my ruined shirt to examine the scrapes better.

"Taniyama, Mai" I answered.

"How old are you?" he asked again.

"Seventeen" wincing slightly as the other paramedic dabbed something that stinged on one of my scrapes.

"Where does your parents work?" was the next question

"They don't, they're dead, they died when I was ten" I said feeling the tears sting my eyes.

Ruffeling my hair, The paramedic then shined a light in my eyes, while the other one bandaged my cuts, and wrapped a blanket around me to hide my nakedness.

"Alright you don't seem to have a concussion, but we are going to admit you overnight just as a precaution," he told me, "do you have anyone who could get you something to change into at the hospital."

"Yes my bags are in the house, you can ask Shibuya-san he's my boss, he will know where they are, he has dark hair and blue eyes, a little taller than me." I told them resigned to my fate and knowing that they would not consider my word since I was still a minor.

The Paramedic nodded before going to locate Naru, re-appearing ten minutes later with my bag. He then climbed into the back and shut the door, before signaling the driver to take off.

**Day 9: Afternoon**

I was never happier to get out of the hospital. Every hour a nurse would prod me awake and ask me a bunch of questions before letting me go back to sleep only to repeat the process again in another hour.

It was always the same questions to, What was my name, how old was I, where am I, what was my birthday, where did I live…

I know it was merely to check my alertness and coherency but still it was downright annoying. To top it off I was bored out of my mind because Naru and the others had left early that morning to inform the client about the events that had transpired. They left me alone to face boredom, exhaustion and annoyance, I know the nurses meant well, but they were annoying all the same.

I was released under the condition that I would not go to work for the rest of the week and I would have someone come stay in my apartment with me fot at least the next three nights. Luckily Ayako had volunteered for the job.

When I had asked about the cost of my visit, the doctor waved it off and said the payment had already been taken care of. This caused me to look around the room wondering which one of my friends had paid the bill for me. All of them studiously avoided my gaze. This caused me to glare at each of them in turn; I was not so helpless that I could not take care of myself.

I had learned in the mean time that Naru had already cleared the house and gotten his payment from Ms. Hokkaido, and so the case was officially closed. That was at least one thing I did not have to worry about as I headed out to the van. Naru once again held the door open so that I could slide into the middle seat before hopping in himself and closing the door.

In the van ride to home, I decided to ask Naru if he knew who had paid my bill, If anyone would answer me it would be him.

"Ne, Naru?" I began "Who paid my hospital bill?"

"I did of course, you are my employee therefore my responsibility as the employer" he responded in a you-should-know-this- type of voice.

"You did?" I asked astounded, my jaw dropping open he had been the last on my list of suspects who would do something nice for me.

"Don't get excited now, I will be removing a small compensation from your check every week until the bill is paid back" he said with a smug smirk on his face.

'I should have known he'd do something like that'


	6. Case File Two: Blood, and Chills Part 1

**Authors Note:** Another day, another rewrite, I am sure you guys are going to miss the quick fire updates when I have to start writing new chapters eight days from now. We will have to see how it goes. Look at the Brightside though, this case will finial have the ending I know you have all been waiting for with all that has happened to poor Mai. I know I am just evil to the characters. I realize this. But if I were not evil to them then there wouldn't be an interesting tale to tell right. I promise poor Mai will get a break in the third case. I won't go spilling secrets now though.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt, If I did I wouldn't have to have a disclaimer.

_Answer: The Cursed House/Blood Stained Labyrinth. Bonus, The Forgotten Children_

**Summary: **There is an ancient manner in the middle of the woods. However, a tragic accident everyone in the entire family was killed. Now no one will approach Masono Manner out of fear for their lives. Worried the village headman calls in the SPR team to exterminate the ghosts that haunt the manner.

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**Case File Two: Blood, and Chills Part One**

**Day 1: Friday Afternoon**

When the bell finally rang signaling the last class for the day was over, I was relived. I stopped to think about that for a moment. I Taniyama, Mai was actually relived school was over so I could go to work with my slave driving, workaholic, pig headed, narcissistic boss Naru, what was wrong with me.

I waved off my friends as I headed down the street to the SPR office. I had convinced myself by then that it was because I had not been there all week that I was in a rush to get there early today. I was not even allowed to come down to the office to visit; the others being afraid I would work instead of rest had forbid me to. Yeah that had to be the reason I was happy to go, it was not that I wanted to see Naru or anything.

Although knowing him he would probably be a grouch from a week without tea. I laughed at the thought, poor Naru I would make sure to make him a cup as soon as I got in and end his dry spell.

I walked into the office and headed imminently to the kitchen. I was somewhat disappointed no one else was there to welcome me back, but I could live with that, I am sure they were all busy. Getting out the kettle, I filled it full of water and set it on the burner. I then turned to get out the teapot Naru's tea, and two teacups.

It felt good to be back in the office. It was the only other place I could consider a home of sorts. At least a home with a wacky family anyways, but a family nonetheless, I was always happier when everyone was around.

I poured the tea into each of the two teacups, before placing them on a tray and carrying them out into the office area. Knocking lightly on Naru's door, I opened it.

"Mai" he said in way of greeting looking up and noticing the tea tray, and then looked at me expectantly.

I smiled "Here's your tea Naru," I said placing the cup down on his desk before walking out, without so much of a word. It was my first day back and I really did not want to get into any arguments today.

Next, I walked over to Lin-san's door. When I entered, he just nodded his head in response and took the cup of tea before getting back to his work, sometimes I wonder what is it he spends all day doing on that laptop of his.

From there I headed to my desk the Hokkaido file sitting there waiting to be sorted through. I sat down and began pulling the file apart. Case history and reports going in one pile, costs, and damage reports in another, I noticed a notation about my hospital bill, I was glad I was not having to pay it all at once it was too much for me, and notes in another.

Sighing I turned on my computer before starting to read over the information. I was to sort, summarize, categorize, remove access information, and then file the case.

'Boy I love my job' I thought sarcastically.

This had to be the most boring aspect of my job. When I stop to think about it sometimes, I wonder if I needed my head checked since I considered going on Ghost Hunts and life threatening experiences fun and exciting, but who has the right to judge, not me certainly.

With a reluctant sigh, I began my work. Over two and a half hours later, it was finished and I stood to stretch my cramping muscles. It had been quite the whole time, except for the occasional call for tea, so I decided to check on Naru and Lin-san to make sure they did not need anything. Just as I was about to disappear around the corner to the offices the door opened.

"Good Afternoon…" I trailed off and waited politely for him to state his name.

"Fukumura, Osamu" the man provided.

"Good Afternoon Fukumura-san, I am Taniyama, Mai how can I be of help today?"

"I have come to speak with your boss on a manner of up most importance. It is extremely important that I meet with him immediately Taniyama-san is he in right now?"

"Yes Shibuya-san is in please take a seat while I go and get him" I directed the man to the couch before heading off to get Naru.

Walking back towards Naru's door I knocked twice before entering. "Customer up front Shibuya-san, his name is Fukumura Osamu, he says it is urgent," I always used his name formally when customers where around, it would not do him any good if they heard me using a nickname.

That done I headed to the kitchen, prepared a tray with a few finger sandwiches and a special blend of tea I sever for clients. Many of our clients came in slightly rattled for the reasons they wanted to hire us, and the calming blend I selected for them often helped. I brought it out to the office area and sat it down on the table before serving everyone, and taking my own seat.

"Okay Fukumura-san why did you request to see me today?" Naru began all business as usual.

"Well you see Shibuya-san I am the headman from Masono Village. It is a small community up in the mountains" he began his tale.

"We have an old run down Manner that's become somewhat of a local legend in our parts. A huge massacre took place there several centuries ago, no one was sad to see it happen though because the family was rumored to practice dark arcane rituals," he paused taking a small sip of his tea.

"The Manner has been empty ever since no one dares to go near it, the rumors about the place to vast and to scary for most folks. Five shrines on the property have since fallen into disarray. Now the manner has been vacant since the massacre took place and all the people alive when the family lived there have all died off. The Manner itself is also beginning to show disarray from lack of maintenance. However recently something strange has been happening." He took another sip of tea, his hands shaking slightly.

"A group of kids went to play in the woods heedless of the repeated warnings to stay out of the forest area around the Manner. Only one of the kids stumbled back covered in blood muttering something about ghosts and skeletons, he later died the same night. Before he passed though, a search party was sent out. We found his three other friends' two boys and a girl dead on the porch of the manner." He swallowed audibly as he continued with the next part of his tale.

"The girl's throat and wrists slit; there were rope marks on her neck, hands, and ankles as well, her body was drained dry of any blood. The boys had sword marks running thru their bodies, their blood, stained and pooled on the ground around them" he paused again blanching at the unpleasant memory.

"At first we thought it might just be bandits or something of the like, and told all of the kids to remain in the village, while we searched the woods for them. We came up empty handed at the time, so one person went to check out the manner. The rest of us waited outside as he went into the door. Suddenly it slammed shut and we heard him screaming. All of a sudden, his voice was cut off and the door opened on its own revealing his mangled corpse. Sword marks littered his body much like the two boys"

"After that we decided to burn the thing down thinking it cursed," he paused once more.

"Flames covered the whole house, but when they died down it still stood not a scorch mark on the wood at all. We don't know what to do about the situation anymore so I came to seek out help."

He got up off the couch and kneeled in front of Naru, bowing to the floor "Please, I'm begging you, it has already killed five people, I am afraid the deaths might continue unless something is done about it, you are rumored to be the best in the field, and our only hope. All the other agencies I have found either referred me to you or turned us down" he begged, "We are willing to pay you whatever cost you ask for if you will only come out and look"

**Naru's P.O.V**

I sighed; I did not like the idea of taking a case that was the cause of recent violent deaths; however, I could not let things escalate any further. If whatever inhabited that place set free by some sort of dark arts got stronger, it could break free of the house and case havoc in more than one location. We had no choice really. It would be dangerous though.

"We will take the case, keep everyone out of the forest, we will arrive in a week's time, please have a place for us to stay prepared in the village. I will need at least three rooms. I cannot stress the importance of keeping everyone away from the house at all costs," my tone grave as I laid out the requirements.

Fukumura-san looked relived that they were taking the case; he bowed once to everyone in the room, before leaving.

"Mai call the others, and inform them of the stakes and to meet here next Friday at eight a.m. sharp. Also, inform them that they are not required to come if the stakes are too high for their likings. If there are any doubts, I do not need them there holding back everyone else. Lin begins research on everything related to Masono Village and its surroundings, especially the manner and what kinds of black arts may have been practiced there, it could be important." With that, I strolled into my office to begin my own research.

* * *

**Authors Note Continued: **

To Be Continued…

So there you go a strange house with a grizzly past. I wonder how Naru and the gang will fare. Once again Read and Review really guys all the reviews are my fuel the more I get the faster I type.

_Question: What is the episode number and Case File Masako gets kidnapped in?_

_Bonus: What does Mai give Masako to help her keep hope?_

-Serena122189


	7. Case File Two:Blood and Chills Part 2

**Authors Notes: **Okay so hear is chapter two, and I'm trucking along, thanks for all the reviews they mean a lot to me.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt, for if I did, I would not be thinking of clever things to put after the disclaimer.

_Answer: Episode 21 Case The Blood Stained Labyrinth/The Cursed House. Bonus, The House key to her parents house before they died._

_-Flashback-_

_Lin begin research on everything related to Masono Village and its surroundings, especially the manner and what kind of black arts were practiced there, it could be important." With that, he strolled into his office to begin his own research._

_

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_

**Case File Two: Blood, and Chills Part Two**

**Next Friday Morning**

I arose early that morning glad for once; I awoke with my alarm clock. Although that might have been something to do with the fact, I set three of them to make sure I got up on time. The office had been tense since last week. Naru was taking extra precautions when it came to research and equipment leaving no stone unturned.

If there was even a slight probability that we might need something, it was immediately added. The case files folder was already chalk full of information about various forms of dark and arcane rituals that we might run into. I was not looking into sorting it out by the end of the case; we might need a box for all of it.

Naru had poor Lin-san researching as many different types of ceremonies, rituals, and the components needed and how to break them, as could be possible to the case. I was beginning to wonder about all this dark magic ritual stuff and if it was that dangerous. Everyone was told to pack for a week to a week in a half, and to be expected to follow some new procedures.

Stretching I went in to the bathroom, turning on the shower, and letting it run for a few minutes so the water could warm up. Back in the bedroom, I selected my outfit to wear for the day. It was a light blue short-sleeved top. Silver lines swirled around it in an intricate pattern. To go with it was a soft looking pale blue grey skirt and a pair of white pumps. The whole thing had an oceanic fog effect it was quite nice actually, it was not that different from my normal clothes although a bit nicer I suppose since we were meeting with a client today.

Heading into the bathroom, I laid my clothes on top of the toilet seat lid before stripping and hoping into the shower, I had fifteen minutes to shower and another ten to get ready before I had to leave. This means I had just enough time to wash my hair.

Fifteen minutes later, I had my hair wrapped in a towel while I got dressed. That accomplished I shook my hair free from the towel fluffed it out a little bit and ran a brush through it to smooth it out. My short hair did not require that much maintenance, which is why I kept it that way, although it did look cute so it had its bonuses. When I was done with the brush, I added it to the top of my bag along with my face wash and toothbrush and toothpaste, before zipping it up and heading to the door.

At the office, I dropped my bags in the added pile and went about making Naru's morning tea. I had just had gotten done with the tea when Ayako, John, and Bou-san had all arrived. Even Yasuhara was there he had missed the last case due to some type of tests going on at his school.

The only one missing was Masako who claimed when I called her that she was in China doing some type of TV show, which left her out of the picture for at least three weeks. This case should be solved way before then so it looks like she would be sitting this one out.

"Mai Te…" he trailed off as I handed him a cup, I smirked feeling proud of myself I was starting to get in the habit of predicting his tea cravings. Was that a good thing?

"Please and thank you," I reminded him smiling. Figuring I had he trapped and he would have to say it this time.

"Very good Mai you do know the proper words to say, I'm glad you are learning something, but now if your done showing off, come with the others into my office for a debriefing" he finished as he walked away leaving me furious behind him a small smile on his face.

'That egotistical narcissist jerk one day I'll get him…" I muttered under my breath as I headed towards Naru's office the whole time glaring daggers at his back.

**Naru's P.O.V**

I could not help it I so enjoyed teasing her, and I knew what I said would set her off for several hours. Really though how could I not help it, she practically begged me to say something sarcastic to her every time she opened her mouth up. It was cute the way she would get flustered like she did.

"…."

Wait where cute come from I defiantly did not just think that, I shook my head, and walked into the office.

Setting down behind my desk, I looked at everyone in the room. Mai had entered last still silently fuming as she stood next to Matsuzaki-san who just looked at her as if to say what's gotten in to you.

Hiding a small smirk, I addressed everyone in the room, "Now that you are all here I can go ahead with a quick debriefing before we head out."

"We are going into murky waters, we don't know a lot about the case or what happened before the owner's deaths they were a secretive family." I paused making sure I had everyone's attention.

" The only details we are sure of are that the practice some sort of dark ritual was preformed their regularly, but it is unclear what. Because of this, we have no choice in the matter of going. If they managed to release something…" I trailed off.

"Takigawa-san, Matsuzaki-san, John, I am sure you all are very well aware of what could happen. I am ordering now that under the strictest guidelines that no one is to travel alone, even if it is to the bathroom." I glanced at Mai who always had the habit of getting into trouble.

"Once we make our prescience known on the land near the house, anything might happen or is possible since we are unsure what we are dealing with. Even though we are not staying overnight in the house itself this is just as a precaution." Finished with the speech I gave all of them one last searching look hoping I was not mistaken in taking this case.

"Let's go," I ordered walking out of the office and heading to the cars.

**Mai's P.O.V**

I hopped in the van in my usual position in the middle seat. Naru got in beside me quietly, going over some papers he had brought along. I began to wonder what Naru meant could happen to us and what could happen if dark arts where practiced in that location. He had not seen it fit to clue me in on the matters, which irked me to no end.

" Naru what could happen if they practiced dark arts there?" I asked at last wanting to know.

"You wouldn't be able to understand it Mai now be quiet I'm reading" he commanded without even looking up at me.

'Grrrrrrrr' I thought aggravated with him, before turning and looking out the windshield.

'Would it kill him to be nicer' and then smiled, 'Yeah it probably would what an interesting death certificate that would be.' I thought laughing silently to myself.

When we reached the Hasano Village, it was around one in the afternoon. We were lead to a small house that was recreantly built for a couple and their daughter who were out of town due to the incidents with the children. They had graciously allowed us access to their house for the duration of our stay. It was well stocked; talk about some trust, small town mentality was different and a little refreshing. We were told to settle in and rest for the day that tomorrow morning someone would show us around town and where the manner was situated. The house was a simple two-story three-bedroom brick house.

_Mai's Dream_

_I was wearing some kind of white kimono and walking down a dark hallway. The stone that made the hallway was smooth however, so I had no fear of tripping. When I opened the single unadorned wooden door at the end, it opened up into a large room of roughly hewn stone and lit by torches. In that room was a huge group of people all of them wearing dark red silk kimonos. _

_In front of me was some kind of alter I did not get a good look at it because soon I climbed the rickety steps to the top. There was a table in the middle of the alter that I went and lay on just like I had been instructed. Four priests then approached me. They were adorned in dark blue kimonos and had white masks covering their faces. I wondered briefly why, when they moved. _

_Each priest picked up a length of rope, and went to secure parts of my body. They secured my arms above me to the wall so they were lying over a metal bin; my head also was suspended with rope over the edge of the table. My feet were secured at the other end of the table. The rope bit into my neck and arms when they pulled it tight to stabilize my body, but I knew it would all be over with soon. I would finally be free of this place that held nothing for me._

**Day 2: Morning**

The next morning I got up and looked around the room I shared with Ayako. The sun was just beginning to rise so I guess it was still early. It was funny, I know I dreamed of something last night but I could not exactly remember what so it must not have been too important.

Still I might want to try to at least remember it. Stretching I got up and headed down to the kitchen, I figured since I was up I could cook breakfast for everyone.

As I cracked a bunch of eggs into a large metal bowl in preparation for French Toast, I focused on trying to remember the dream but kept coming up with a blank. Whisking the eggs, I added some cinnamon, and sugar a little salt and pepper and just a dash of vanilla extract to make them sweet.

"You're up early Mai" I looked over to see Ayako standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"It's not that often I wake up early, but you get the benefits of it today" I motioned to the table where there was a huge platter of French Toast, and bacon, a full pot of tea, syrup, and powdered sugar. Help yourself I was just about to go and wake everyone else up.

After breakfast, Ayako helped me do dishes complementing me on the French Toast when there was a knock on the door. Looks like our guide was finally here.

**Day 2: Mid Morning**

"Hi my name is Yoshiro and I will be your guide today," a young man about twenty with brown hair and eyes said, and so our tour of the village started.

He finished up by showing us the manner and each of the five shrines. The headman was right about them being in disarray, although we did not enter them now, I could tell it has been a while that any one did any maintenance. Some windows were cracked or missing pieces of glass. The doors hung slightly sideways on some of the buildings and were completely missing on others, the walls were dingy, and most of the shingles had fallen off.

The whole time I was there, I could not help but feel some kind of evil prescience that had me constantly looking over my shoulder nervously as if something was watching us. This unfortunately had the side effect of me almost walking into several trees and other objects, before someone pulled me out of the way.

After the tour, Naru got directions to the old road that led out to the manner, Lin-san, Ayako Naru, Bou-san and I went with the equipment to the manner, while Yasuhara and John stayed behind to ask questions in the village. Naru had Ayako and I go around to the shrines with a few cameras and mics. We were instructed to set them around outside the building but not to set foot in the actual buildings themselves as of yet. He wanted to do an outer surveillance of the buildings before we risked entering.

Naru and Lin-san were doing the same to the Manner itself, the monitors were hooked up to a generator in the van. John and Yasuhara were to meet us back at the Manner when they were done; Bou-san was to be the one that monitored everyone while he stayed in the van.

"Hey Mai" Ayako asked as we were sitting up the last of the equipment.

"Why were you so jumpy earlier?"

"I'm not sure, I just kept having the feeling we were being watched, I don't feel it now though which is kind of weird maybe it was just my imagination." I said

"Maybe" Ayako agreed, "You need to learn to trust your instincts though, you should tell Naru when we get back," she instructed.

"You never know when something might be important to the case especially with you"

* * *

**Authors Note Continued: **

To Be Continued…

So another chapter is done, what is this mysterious prescience Mai feels? Why doesn't she remember her dream? Well I guess you will have to read and find out. :D

_Question: What case does Mai first meet Dream Naru?_

_Bonus: What case dose her dreams first help on?_

-Serena122189


	8. Case File Two: Blood, and Chills Part 3

**Authors Notes: **Hi again here with chapter 3 of the second case file. This case is moving slowly I understand, but patience is a virtue a lot more interesting things to to all my reviewers. I left off writing this at 9 chapters, I have 6 to go to catch up. So soon more new cases on the way, and the end of our first contest.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own ghost Hunt, if I did I wouldn't be up so late posting chapters.

_Answer: The Doll House Case Two. Bonus: I would have either taken The Afterschool Hexer, when she first discovers her abilities or, The Forbidden Past Time, where her dreams are mentioned more in length, for this answer. I would also take the Doll House when she first see's Naru._

_-Flashback-_

"_Maybe" Ayako agreed, "You need to learn to trust your instincts though, you should tell Naru when we get back," she instructed. "You never know when something might be important to the case especially with you."_

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_

**Case File Two: Blood, and Chills Part Three**

**Day 2: Afternoon**

Ayako and I started walking back towards our temporary base, our jobs now finished. My stomach rumbled loudly, and I sincerely hopped that Yasuhara-san and John would bring lunch with them when they returned. When we got back to the van, I noticed everyone else was already there and had sandwiches in their laps.

"Hey" I complained "where is ours" I said, crossing my arms and pouting when I did not see any more bags.

Bou-san just laughed before tossing me the bag he had hidden with two more sandwiches in it. Handing Ayako one of them I sat down on the ground since all the chairs were already taken.

Ayako mealy pushed Bou-san out of his chair, sending him sprawling to the ground sandwich and all, and took his seat, saying a woman should never sit on the ground. This gave everyone a good laugh. After lunch, at Ayako's insistent badgering, I walked up to Naru.

"Hey Naru" I started out, causing him to look up from his papers and notes to me,

"About earlier when we were on the tour, I kept feeling something…"I trailed off unsure how to word it exactly, I seemed to have caught his attention though.

"Something what Mai" he prompted me.

"Evil, for lack of a better word watching me, or I'm not sure if it was just me or our group in general, but it was definitely watching."

"Do you feel it now?" he asked, in which case I shook my head negatively, "I thought it was my imagination, but Ayako thinks I should tell you anyways."

"She was right" Naru told me, "I want you to tell me whenever you feel it again okay, you have always had good instincts on the last couple of cases, so we should take what you are feeling into consideration," he finished, before going back to his paper work.

I was stunned for a second 'Did Naru just give me a complement'

**Day 3: Afternoon**

_Mai's Dream:_

_I was back in the weird cavern room with the alter again…wait did I say again, that means I must have had this dream before. I was laying on the table, the ropes I was secured with biting into my skin, but I did not mind it would all be over with soon. Above me carved into the ceiling was carved some sort of figure, I squinted trying to make out the lines and discern what it was. _

_One of the priests walked up to me, "Do you freely give yourself" he asked me to which I responded "Yes" clearly and loudly, after all there was nothing left for me in this world anyways. It shortly distracted me because the voice and thought was not my own._

_Said priest threw some type of golden powder on me it shimmered weirdly in the torch light, and another priest approached "You are aware that this most sacred duty you will perform will cost you your life?" he asked, to which I responded "Yes" he then dribbled some sort of liquid over my body. There was enough of it to significantly dampen my skin._

"_Yet you will still give your body freely?" a third priest asked, "Yes I give my body freely to thee" I say, he then waves a fan over my body the wind from the swift stroke feeling cool over my damp body._

_The forth turned to the family headman "Do you willingly give this member of your house?" he asked, "Yes" his gruff voice replied, the priest handed him a silver dagger. _

_The headman then proceeded to turn to the family, standing in front of a large fire; he thrust the dagger into it, heating the blade "Do you my family agree with my choice?" He asked the spectators to which a thunderous "Yes" echoed through the cavern._

_He withdrew the blade, and walked over to the girl holding it against her suspended arm, "Alien daughter of Hasano, you who have been cleansed by the moon, the earth, the water, and the wind, you who have freely given your life. You will now be cut with fire and metal, sanctifying and sacrificing your life's blood to the great dragon, do you have any regrets?" he asked pressing the blade into my skin causing it to burn me. _

"_No" I hissed in pain as he sliced first my left wrist, then my right, followed by my neck deeply allowing my blood to dribble into the metal bin bellow me._

_With each splatter of my blood into the bowl, the outlines above me began to turn silver, outlining a great dragon. As I began to feel weak, the dragon seemed to move, stretching his giant maw hungrily down from the ceiling and into the bowl taking a long lap of my blood, before turning his great eyes staring into mine 'your next' and I knew no more._

I sat up with a startled gasp, my heart pounding rapidly, as I bolted upright, nearly colliding into someone when I did so. My eyes wide and unseeing I opened my mouth, but no sound came out I closed and opened it again my whole body trembling, when a light hand touched my shoulder I shied away, tumbling out of my bed in my attempt to get away.

'Your next' kept echoing in my head causing me to clamp my arms over my ears and curled into a ball protectively trying to hide from its voice and eyes. When another hand touched me again I hunkered down further, whimpering. Why could they not go away and leave me alone, I did not want to be next.

**Naru's P.O.V**

The whole team was gathered in Mai's bedroom as she slept. Ayako had informed us earlier when she could not wake the girl. She had fallen asleep on the ride back to the place we were staying. The afternoon of work must have been too much for her. Lin had helped carry Mai into the house and placed the girl in her bed.

That had been four hours ago, night was beginning to fall in this small village, yet Mai still had not opened. Her eyelids flickered in distress a few times, but that was about all. Her skin was cool to the touch, but her breathing remained normal. All there was to do really was to wait. It was all we could do. When she awoke, she could tell us what bothered her so in her sleep. I would have to admit it was the longest she had ever been asleep for.

A startled gasp drew everyone's attention to the bed as Mai bolted upright almost colliding into Ayako.

Her eyes were still slightly glazed over a sign that she had not come out of her trance completely yet. Before I could speak the comment aloud however, Ayako had reached out and touched Mai's shoulder asking if she was okay. Not the smartest thing to do when someone is still half in a trance.

Mai reacted negatively shying away from the hand, and tumbling out of her bed with a yelp and a loud bang. She then proceeded to clamp her hands over her ears as if to block out some kind of noise only she could hear. Takigawa-san was the next to approach her before I could stop him he reached out to touch Mai, but she shrank away from it whimpering brokenly.

Quickly I walked over to Takigawa-san pulling him away from the still whimpering girl.

"That's enough," I said ignoring the way she flinched at my cool, firm voice.

"But," Takigawa-san began before I cut him off,

"She is still in a trance state, she doesn't recognize us right now, and you are only scaring her." I explained to him, I could not believe they had not noticed it themselves.

"If you keep this up she might try to run and could injure herself in the process. You need to back up and give her some space until she comes around."

I said as I continued to force him to back up so I could put myself between the two of them, unconsciously shielding her with my body from the other's stares in the room, by forcibly commanding their attention with my attitude..

"I have seen this before I know what I am talking about." I continued softer this time so not to scare her anymore, glancing at Lin knowing he would understand what I meant.

"I think all of us but one should leave, having a lot of people around in a half-trance state makes it more stressful on the person coming out of it," he spoke up at last helping me out, before shooting me his own look which roughly meant I hope you know what you are doing.

"I think the rest of us should leave Naru and Mai, Naru should be able to handle her, like he has said he has dealt with this situation before."

Lin opened the door at my slight nod that I would be fine and walked out of the room, the others somewhat reluctantly followed, they would probably try to pump Lin for more information, but at least they left.

When the door shut behind John who was the last to leave the room, I focused my attention on the still cowering girl and sighed.

I sat down next to her leaning against the wall, but made no move to touch her just yet. I had done this several times before with Gene when he had a bad dreamscape experience and had come out of it only half-way.

He only came conscious enough to protect himself from whatever he had experienced in the dream, which is what Mai was doing now.

She was half here in our world, and half stuck in the dream world still experiencing whatever it was throwing at her.

When her half-glazed eyes came up to look at me worriedly as if I was a threat, I said her name aloud, to remind her of whom she was. Sometimes a person could be so caught up in the memories they see, the temporarily forget who they really are, if left that way too long a person could die. Their body convinced that they were the other person, and that what happened to them was real.

My voice startled her enough that her gaze dropped back down, and she scooted away from her back coming up against the bed.

Unperturbed I spoke again, "Mai it's okay, it's over, you can wake up now" I said softer this time, slowly holding out my hand to her, but still not making a move towards her. Going through the same motions, I would have gone through if it were my brother sitting here.

"It's okay I promise you nothing can hurt you anymore wake up" I said again as if I was coaxing a frightened animal. I was relieved when she took my hand and allowed me to pull her gently towards me. It signifies she was starting to come around, and be more aware of her surroundings.

"That's right, everything is okay, calm down, your safe," I repeated giving herself something else to focus on as I pulled her into my lap and gently stroked her head. I heard a few muffled sobs.

"Shhhh, it's okay" I said gently, pulling her closer as if I could shelter her from what she was afraid of, while looking down at her now clear eyes that signified she had come fully around now.

Relaxing against the wall, I continued to hold her as she sobbed, patiently waiting until she was able to regain her composure.

To help calm her down, I began talking to her in a low soothing tone, telling her what had happened that morning so far. As I talked, I felt her focusing more and more on what I was saying gradually relaxing. As she relaxed more and more, I felt my own worries start to ebb as well.

"Even Lin was worried about you, I know he isn't good at showing it but I could tell by looking at him he was really tense when you weren't waking up."

I looked down at her again she had been quite for a while, and I smiled softly when I noticed she had fallen asleep, one of her hands fisted into my shirt. Carefully I stood up, and placed her back in her bed, covering her lightly with the covers. It had taken quite some time though since she had not wanted to let go of my shirt. She would need sleep to help her body recover from the shock it had received.

When she awakened again, she would be calm enough to tell us what had happened, for now though I would let her rest, I had some serious thinking to do. I was still amazed how one girl could get through all my shields that I had placed to protect myself from any more heartache.

All my carefully constructed barriers once again meaning nothing to her. It was like they did not even exist around her. How could I come to start caring so much for one girl, after I had lost so much of myself. What kind of irony was this.

More importantly, what was with that dream? What had she seen, felt, heard that had caused her body to shut down and go into survival mode. It was startling to see, it was only the second time I had ever seen her have an experience this bad when we were on cases.

**Mai's P.O.V**

When I had came around I found myself sitting in Naru's lap, the events of my dream crashed down on me I could not help it I started crying.

As I listened to Naru's soft voice, I had stopped crying and began to relax a few minutes later I was fast asleep the only word now echoing in my mind was 'Safe'.

_Mai's Dream 2:_

_I awoke in the familiar dark landscape that meant Dream Naru was there somewhere I was quite relived not wanting to relive that awful dream again. Dream Naru appeared pulling me into a comporting hug, "I'm sorry" he apologized, which caused me to look up at him weird._

"_I sent you into that dream without me thinking you could handle it. I was going to pull you out before the girl's death, but something was blocking me and I couldn't reach you," he explained. _

"_It's okay" I replied in a shaky voice._

"_No it is no okay; it was very dangerous for you, and very stupid of me. You could have not awoken after experiencing such a traumatic death however voluntary it might be without any training," he told me._

"_What do you mean?" I asked, unsure of what he meant._

_He sighed; "I was sent her to guide you Mai, and your powers are stronger than you think" he began. _

_

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_

**Authors Note Continued:**

To Be Continued…

Thanks for all the support, as I truck along trough theses chapters.

_Question: In the Afterschool Hexer, which SPR characters are cursed and what happens? You get points for each part of the question._

_Bonus: In the Afterschool Hexer, who was being framed as the main suspect and who was it really?_

-Serena122189


	9. Case File Two: Blood, and Chills Part 4

**Authors Notes: **Okay here is another update! Thanks for all the reviews.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt, if I did I would be a better artiest by now

_Answer: Mai, Naru and Masako are cursed. Mai and Naru have a spirit following them, in Mai's case she is pulled down a sewer hole, and Masako is pushed down the stairs. Bonus: Kasai-san is being framed by her teacher. _

_-Flashback-_

"_What do you mean?" I asked, unsure of what he meant._

_He sighed; "I was sent her to guide you Mai, and your powers are stronger than you think" he began. _

_

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_

**Case File Two: Blood, and Chills Part Four**

**Day 3: Evening**

_**Gene's P.O.V**_

"_What I want to know is did anything strange in your dream happen, because I had lost all contact with you after you walked up to the Alter?" I asked changing the subject, before Mai could ask too many questions; there were just something's she could not know yet. Not until she mastered her post cognitive abilities. _

_Hesitantly she nodded shivering slightly, as she described what had occurred with the dragon. _

"_At that point in the dream I knew he was talking to me, and not the person in my dream, but I am not sure how that is possible." she said, sinking down to the floor and looking up into my troubled gaze._

_I finally sighed, "I would tell you to leave and go home for your own safety, but I doubt you will listen, will you?" I asked already expecting the answer so her negative headshake did not surprise me._

"_In that case tell me, when you wake up about your dream in full and complete detail," I stressed to her wondering what she would think of this whole situation. _

"_Don't leave anything out. Then ask me about shielding. Make sure I am alone when you ask" I instructed her, and was relieved when she shook her head yes in response. If she was puzzled, she was good at hiding it. I often wondered when she would become brave enough to question Naru or me about her dreams. Once she found out it was me, Gene, and not Naru she was talking to it would make my job a whole lot easier._

_Then again, she might be getting used to this kind of thing already for all I knew. I just knew the trouble it would cause when she brought up shielding, I was hoping to avoid teaching her some things until after she knew who I was to avoid putting her in awkward situations but this time it could not be helped. _

_The least I could hope for was that my brother was in an understandable mood when she asked._

_Smiling, I sent her back to the living world, hoping she would stay safe._

**Mai's P.O.V**

**Day 4: Morning**

I and stretched my arms high above my head yawning.

"Mai!" Ayako exclaimed wrapping me in a hug, glad I was back to normal.

I could tell she wanted to know what the dream I had was about, but was refraining from asking me at that moment. For that, I was grateful. I wanted to mentally prepare for the fight I had to come on my hands, because unlike Dream Naru, the real Naru would not be so hard to convince for me to stay. Also, I just really didn't want to talk about it yet.

"Naru told me to give you something to eat when you woke up again. Your body needed a good meal after the shock it received. He also said that I was to look after you until you were done then bring you to see him. He expects a full account of your dream. I think everyone wants to know what happened, we were all very concerned." She said as she pulled the covers away from me and helped me out of the bed.

"Why don't you take a shower, while I go make you something okay, it should be done by the time you're out," she coaxed as she led me to the bathroom, and handing me a set of clothes to change into. Before walking out to give me the privacy, I needed.

"Don't hurt yourself now, I don't want to receive a tongue lashing from Naru if you do" she teased me gently as she left.

After she left, I decided a shower did not sound like such a bad idea. Anything to avoid having to talk about the dream for a while yet I was still coming to teams with the fact I had witnessed another's death again.

I had just gotten out of the shower, and dressed when true to her word Ayako was back with a PB & J sandwich, with a glass of milk. I sat down and devoured my meal hungrily. I had not realized how hungry I was until she had actually sat the plate down in front of me.

"Thanks Ayako" I said once I was done, and empty plate and glass sitting in front of me. I picked it up to head to the kitchen when Ayako stopped me.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked taking the plate and cup from me.

When I gave her a puzzled look she shook her head, "I got this you need to go and tell Naru about your dream, I'll be up in a minute, so try and stall a little so I can hear about it too," she walked out the bedroom door.

I followed Ayako reluctantly out. I really did not want to do this now, especially since in my dream Naru told me to tell him about it alone, when I asked about shielding. Although I did not know why it was so important, I would respect his privacy and do as he asked. Maybe I would finally tell the real Naru about my dreams. My face heated up at the thought, maybe not…

'I guess I can edit the story now, and tell Naru what I left out later,' I thought.

'This way I don't have to worry the others as well. Though that might expect I am leaving something out, but I'll deal with that when the time comes.' I looked up and realized I was at the base room door already.

I opened the door reluctantly, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and look up at me. Lin looked like he was reviewing tapes from the various locations, but he pushed a key on his row of buttons and turned around to face me.

Naru, Yasuhara, John, and Bou-san looked up from the papers they were going over. Naru actually got up and sat on the couch waiting for me to come the rest of the way in the room.

Lin grabbed his laptop to take notes, and everyone else gathered around Naru leaving the other seat on the couch open for me. Talk about waiting for me Ayako was not kidding, I must of worried them all greatly.

'Great, I hate being the center of all their attention.' I grumbled as I walked into the room and took my appointed seat. I did not mind their attention all the time, just times like these where everyone expected something from me. Or, I felt like they did anyways. It always made me nervous.

"Hi, guys" I said as I sat down smiling as if this was a normal everyday occurrence. Which for me it was beginning to become, at least when I was on a case anyways.

Naru just looked at me as if he knew I was stalling which is exactly what I was doing anyways.

"Mai" he said holding my gaze in a silent prompt.

"I want to wait for Ayako so I don't have to repeat myself" I whined. Naru just narrowed his eyes but he did not push the issue. Just then, Ayako walked back into the room and he turned his gaze back to me waiting.

I took a deep breath knowing I could not stall anymore and started, you would think with the constant dreams I would be semi used to this now but I was not. Some dreams I had still shook me to the core, and it was hard for me to talk about them.

"At the beginning of the dream I was is some sort of cavern. In it was built this giant platform that lead up to an alter of some sort. From my vantage point, I couldn't really see what type. I was tied to a table that was in the middle of the platform. I remember distinctively that the ropes were tight even though I wasn't struggling at all against them. I paused rubbing my wrists remembering the ropes.

"My head hung off the table supported by a rope of its own; it choked me a little but not too much. My arms were likewise bound above me off the table and over some type of metal bowl. The only part of my body attached to the table itself was my mid- to lower body. I remember distinctively thinking that it didn't matter it would all end soon." My words echoed through the now quite room. Even Lin had stopped typing and looked up at me curiously at my statement.

"Next was the ceremony" I shuddered.

"There were four priests that preformed it. Three of them asked me a series of questions. If I would give up my body, was I aware it would kill me, and if I would still give my body up anyways. I replied yes to each question. Later in the dream, I was told I was purified with moon, earth, water, and wind. I was able to pick up where the earth water and wind came from because each priest did something to my body after I answered the question yes. The moon must of happened before this point in the dream." I stopped thinking for a moment before beginning again. Wanting to make sure, I got everything right. If one thing the constant dreams provided, I was getting better at keeping track at what happened during them.

"The forth priest talked to the family headmen asking if he approved of my decision, and gave him a silver dagger when he said yes. The headman proceeded to heat the dagger in the flame of a bonfire that had been burning off to the side for a while now. The headman asked the whole family if they approved to which they said yes." I gulped as I continued to the next and finial part I was going to tell everyone.

"The headman then approached me and asked if I Alien daughter of Hasano, you who have been cleansed by the moon, the earth, the water, and the wind, you who have freely given your own life. You who will now be cut with fire and metal, sanctifying and sacrificing your life's blood to the great dragon, do you have any regrets, I told him no. He then sliced my wrists and neck deeply. Not deep enough to kill me right away, but deep enough to allow my blood to flow freely I died slowly, and agonizingly. The next thing I remember is waking up." I finished leaving out the part of the dragon.

There was a collective intake of breath through the room. Everyone but Naru and Lin moved over to give me a comforting hug. Naru continued to look at me suspiciously, and I silently pleaded with him not to say anything, and glanced at everyone else. He just looked away from me and I relaxed.

**Naru's P.O.V**

'She is not telling us everything, and she doesn't want the others to know the rest' I thought wondering what she was leaving out, and not likeing it one bit. If it evolved her safety I wanted, to know what else she had seen, what frightened her so much. A simple death from the perspective of the one dying could be traumatic, yes, but not enough to send her into the half-trance state she had awoken in, besides she had experienced death before and she had not reacted that way. What had caused it I had to know. I knew I would get no sleep otherwise.

"John, Takigawa-san, Yasuhara-san, Matsuzaki-san" I snapped getting their attention, "Go to the manner grounds and pack up the equipment we can't get anymore knowledge with external equipment. Stay in pairs, I want you back before this afternoon" I ordered and watched as they grumbled and cleared the room.

"Lin I want you to do research on the ceremony Mai described" I ordered him, while grabbing Mai's hand and leading her out of the room.

"Mai you are going to make me tea and tell me what you are not telling the others" I ordered her sternly once we were out in the hallway, dragging her off to the kitchen. Once we entered the kitchen, I shut the door and sat down at the table waiting. I could not afford to have her keeping secrets on this dangerous of a case; we really did not know what we were up against.

I also idly wondered if I had been in that dream at all. She had mentioned last case about me being the key to her dreams before. Although I doubt she remembered that instant with the way she had acted towards me. I did not want to bring the awkward subject up now with her being so scared. I would confront her about it later, maybe when we were back at the office perhaps. Right now, the important thing was to find out what she wanted to keep hidden from the others, and try to discern why.

**Mai's P.O.V**

Once in the kitchen I went about the calming and familiar routine of making tea, once the pot was seeping, I sat down at the table across from Naru.

"There isn't very much more to tell. I just left off the last little bit." I told him before beginning.

"The lines on the ceiling I couldn't make out before began to glow silver as Alien's blood dripped into the metal bowl. The dragon began to move, its head and neck stretching down from the ceiling and into the container to lap her blood. At one point, it stopped and I felt something change in the surroundings. The dragon looked directly at me, not Alien, but me, and claimed I was next." I finished, jumping as the kettle began to whistle.

Naru got up from the table, and picked up the teapot, pouring a cup of tea before handing it to me.

"Here Mai, I think you need this more than me right now." He commented.

I looked at him puzzled as he steered me back to the table where I had gotten up. "What else" he asked as he sat back down.

"I was wondering if there was any way I could protect myself if I had a dream like this again. I thought out of everyone else you would be the one to ask. Like a shield or something…" I trailed off when Naru stiffened a little bit. Just then, the whole house was plunged into complete darkness. Scared I sat completely still, I heard Naru get up, and make a move towards me slowly.

"Mai?" he asked, when I did not respond he put a hand on my shoulder, but I could not move. There shining in front of me was an image of a dragon, it was obvious that Naru could not see it. Why me, why did this have to happen now.

'_**Tonight, you will come to the manner tonight or I will kill all of your friends. I already told you once you are mine, if you come your friends will be spared'**_ it's horrible grating voice echoed around me, before disappearing and the lights flickered back on.

I swayed in my chair dizzily and felt the hand gripping my shoulder more securely. I opened my mouth to tell Naru what happened; only instead I asked, "What was with the power outage?"

I panicked and tried again to say what I had saw, this time though I felt myself stand up instead, taking a sip of tea, "I really wish things like that would stop happening I already have been scared enough in one day" I said fearfully.

Why I was not saying the things I wanted to, I thought frustrated. I then felt Naru put his hands around my shoulders, "It's alright Mai" he said softly as the Naru in my dreams did, he turned me around.

"Your right there is a way to create a shield to protect yourself, would you like me to teach you how to do it when we get back?" he offered, and I felt myself nod in agreement.

'_**Tell anyone and they all die'**_ the voice hissed one last time, and then I fainted as its presence left me.

**Naru's P.O.V**

I managed to catch Mai just as she fainted, her cup falling and shattering on the floor. Scooping her up I left the mess and made my way back to the base. Lin was startled when I came carrying Mai.

"She fainted after the power outage," I explained, before setting her down on the couch gently. I then walked over and picked up a stack of papers and sitting down to continue reading them. The whole time though I was not taking in any of the information. My thoughts kept drifting back to when she had asked me about shielding in the kitchen and what she had said before that.

I had originally came up with the idea of helping my brother learn how to construct a shield to protect himself when he had astral projected into the dreamscape world to gather information on cases. We had worked hard on perfecting it over the years. When she had asked it had startled me, and had reminded me of Gene and I a long time ago.

I used to get mad when I could not protect him from his dreams, which is why I had come up with the shielding idea. It had even worked to block weaker ghosts if we had become separated; he had even used it to protect me on an occasion or two.

My eyes slid back over to examine the sleeping girl. I had let my mask slip in the kitchen when she had become frightened. I had comforted her and offered to teach her. I was beginning to have second thoughts though, wondering if I could really go through the familiar exercises with her. Her and not Gene it would be hard. What was I supposed to tell her if she asked where I had originally learned how to do this from.

Especially why I knew it if I could not but up one myself. However, I was the only one that could teach her and it might protect her. I did not know what to do about it exactly.

Just then, a moaning sound came from the couch as Mai began to waken.

* * *

**Authors Note Continued:**

To Be Continued…

Once again thanks to all my reviewers and for your support.

_Question: What happens during their last case in the anime?_

_Bonus: Was a Light Novel Series ever written about Ghost Hunt?_


	10. Case File Two: Blood, and Chills Part 5

**Authors Notes: **Good Morning, or at least its morning where I am at the moment. Here is another update enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt, it is as simple as that.

_Answer: In the blood stained labyrinth, there are more psychic groups besides SPR trying to figure out what is wrong with a governor's (or something like that) old family mansion. During the case, they discover that the house is a lot like the Winchester Mystery house, with stairs to nowhere, rooms that are completely blocked off and doors that lead nowhere, Mai has a disturbing dream where she is killed. Soon some of the young members of the other research teams start disappearing, causing a small amount of panic to break out among the other teams. SPR finds out that Urado, as his victims knew the former owner, had many young maids who had mysteriously disappeared. In addition, the team learns about Mai's past. Soon after, Masako is kidnapped after she has a fight with Mai over Naru not using honorifics with Mai and calling Mai by her first name. They search for Masako and Mai is told to fall asleep. When she finds Masako in her dreams, Mai gives the scared girl her house key. Soon Mai awakes and tells the rest what happened. Later Mai runs off ahead of everyone, saves Masako and is attacked. Lin's shiki save her and everyone runs from the house. They instruct the governor to burn down the house, stating that it will cause less press that if it is allowed to remain standing. Bonus: Yes_

_-Flashback-_

_Especially why I knew it if I could not but up one myself. However, I was the only one that could teach her and it might protect her. I did not know what to do about it exactly._

_Just then, a moaning sound came from the couch as Mai began to waken. _

_

* * *

_

**Case File Two: Blood, and Chills Part Five**

When I first woke up, I noticed two things, one I was on a couch, and two I was back in the base. The last thing I remembered was being in the kitchen, and then… my train of thought trailed off, what had happened after that? It was important, I knew it was, but what was it….

"Mai?" I disregarded the voice trying to get my attention as I tried to remember what I was supposed to do, something about the manner….

"Mai!" the voice said again a little bit disgruntled that I ignored it.

Just then I remembered, _**'You will come to the manner tonight, or I will harm your friends one by one, if you tell anyone about me they will all die regardless of if you come or not' **_the voice echoed inside my head. I shivered, my eyes going wide with fear, my muscles tensing instinctively. I had seen the dragon when there was a blackout. He had come to claim me as his. If I did not listen Naru would….

"MAI!" Naru's voice snapped me out of my fear induced reverie and I looked up at him still shaking, and very, very afraid. I did not know what to do; I did not know what to say. If I said the wrong thing or acted the wrong way, I would cause everyone's deaths. I think Naru must of noticed that I was afraid. Because next he asked me a question.

'_**Remember you are MINE now' **_the voice hissed coyly.

'_**Be a good girl and lie, say yes to his question'**_ the voice instructed me.

"Did you have another dream?" Naru asked, now sitting in front of me with his notebook and pen poised to write down anything I might say.

"Yes" I squeaked out obeying the voice.

"What was it about?" Naru asked again, looking up at me patiently waiting like, he always did, never rushing me, as if he knew how hard it could be for me to put what I dreamed into words. It made me feel like a horrible person for what I was about to do.

'_**Tell him you dreamed of being at another ceremony again, but this time it was as a different girl'**_ the voice instructed somehow knowing of my latent talents. Maybe it had sensed my presence during the last dream sequence. I was unsure of what to think about that. Was I in danger when I dreamed?

"I had a dream of the ceremony again, but this time it was a different girl" I explained as the voice wanted me too, I had to keep everyone safe. A vision of Naru walking into the manner flashed into my mind. It looked like he was looking for something, or someone. All of a sudden, there was a flash of light and he fell to the floor, his blood pooling around him. I choked down a horrified scream, as tears came to my eyes. Above him stood a skeleton like figure, its eyes glowing a eerie red. Slowly if bent down, and dipped two fingers into his blood, before bring it to his mouth tasting it, in his other hand was clutched a now bloody sword.

'_**He will be the first I kill if you disobey me'**_ my breath hitched involuntarily, not Naru I thought desperately to which the voice just laughed. If there was one person, I cared about the most out of the whole SPR team it was him.

"Mai?" Naru prompted at my change in demeanor, if I did not shape up my act now he would know something was wrong, and if he guessed….

"The current headman of the family changed the ceremony to appease the dragon and brutally yet slowly butchered the girl alive it was horrible," I sobbed. Feeding the next lie as the voice instructed to Naru.

'_**Good Girl'**_ the voice hissed evilly in my ear.

Ayako had come back crossed the room, and put her arms around me in an attempt to comfort me. Naru meantime, went back to his research leaving me alone. I hated having to lie to him, I hated this voice. If it would keep him safe, though I would do anything. Not just him, but I had Ayako, Bou-san, Yasuhara-san, and John to think about as well. All of their lives rested in my hands. Just one slip up and they would all suffer because of me.

The rest of the day passed by at a snail's pace, I had been instructed to stay in the base with Lin-san while Naru and the rest of the gang went to check out the shrines. They would start an internal investigation today. They all agreed I was not emotionally stable enough to go with them, or as Naru had put it, "I refuse to have you fall apart the first time something goes boo, and get one of us seriously hurt you can stay here."

It was quite in the base, Lin-san busily typing away on his keyboard, leaving me alone with my thoughts. When I started to try to think of a way out of my situation, the voice would come back; taunting me with images of Naru's death, reminding me what would happen if I broke down and told them what was going on. Every time I saw his death, I began to cry, causing Lin-san to send me more than one worried glance. A few times he looked like he was going to say something, but I would studiously avoid his gaze whenever he looked at me warding him off for the time being. I was afraid if I met his gaze for too long I would spill my forced secret. Then everyone would pay.

**Naru's P.O.V**

When I had arrived back at base after checking on the shrines with the others I noticed that Mai was still sitting on the couch where I had left her this afternoon. I shot a look to Lin, who just shook his head and shrugged with a worried look, not knowing what had caused her disposition change. This frustrated me, I could tell she was upset and afraid about something, her whole body and posture practically screamed it.

Unless she talked though no one could ease her fears. I was about to head over there and force her to talk to me again, when I noticed Matsuzaki-san approach her. I decided to leave it up to her to get Mai to talk. She had always talked to the Miko in the past maybe she would this time as well.

I sighed before going over and giving Lin a verbal report of our findings at the shrines, they were actually strangely inactive. No one had so much as sensed a draft. I looked over to where Matsuzaki-san was trying to draw Mai out of her shell. It did not look like it was working though, she kept her gaze downwards, and her body stiff and angled away from the priestess, insisting repeatedly that she was fine. When it was obvious to everyone in the room she was anything but.

Finally when Takigawa-san began to get on to her as well, she stormed out of the base to her room, saying she would turn in early, slamming the door behind her and leaving all of us very worried about her.

"What happened why we were gone Lin?" I asked quietly wanting to know if she was like that the whole time.

"She stayed on the couch and cried off and on, and wouldn't meet my gaze for longer than three seconds" Lin responded.

"I thought to approach her a few times, but I was afraid she would bolt with the way she was asking, so I left her be hoping she would talk when you all got back."

This worried me, the behavior was so unlike her. Usually when she was upset, she would talk about whatever it was to whoever was there, usually it was the monk, or the priestess, but for her not to say anything… I ran a hand through my hair distractedly trying to figure it all out.

She had started acting differently after the blackout. When she regained consciousness after fainting, she had seemed strangely distant. Then there was the whole dream thing. It was weird for her to have two in such a short amount of time, although it is not always unheard of, just rare.

The dream itself had a different feel to it as well. It lacked the detail and substance of her earlier dreams. Why the sudden change of sacrificing, there was no real reason for it, the detail that Mai had learned to give us was lacking making it hard for me to pinpoint what had happened exactly. After having such a vivid dream last time, it seemed off for this one not tp have the same vividness.

I sat with my notes running what I knew through my head trying to make the information fit. I was drawing a blank though. My mind kept turning back to trying to figure out why Mai was acting the way she was, instead of on the case. I stared blankly at the case notes in my hand, and before I knew it everyone in the base had cleared out for bed leaving me and Lin alone.

**Mai's P.O.V**

I laid in my bed pretending to be asleep when Ayako walked into the room. I had felt guilty about snapping at everyone earlier, I knew they were worried, and they had every right to be. If I sat in there any longer though, I might have let something slip, which is why I left early. Ayako had been asleep for about an hour now, but I had yet to make my move to get up and leave. I needed to wait and make sure everyone was asleep before I left. They could not know I was gone until morning. The biggest problem was making sure Naru and Lin-san were asleep; they tended to stay up longer than any of us.

I knew they would look for me, but hopefully they would believe the note I had painfully written under the voices order. The note explained how I could not take the stress of this case and had boarded the late night/early morning bus and went home, not to worry. They would check on me of course, but hopefully it would distract them long enough for them to leave, and be out of harm's way.

I knew Naru would be furious with me, but at least he and the others would be safe. If I could keep them that way by doing whatever this voice wanted, I would. There was no question about it.

When the clock struck midnight, I quietly climbed out of bed and left the bedroom. Once in the hallway I padded down the stairs and into the kitchen with my bags. I placed the note I had been forced to write on the kitchen table where it could be seen and let myself out the back door.

I walked to the bus depot and bought a ticket for the five o'clock morning bus heading into the city to make it more believable. It was a four-hour commute, so I had about eight hours before they would think something was amiss. I waited at the bus stop for a while crying silently to myself. When the bus arrived, I loaded my baggage but slipped away in the morning rush for the commute to the city, never actually boarding the bus. I changed my outgoing message on my cell phone, and switched it off, before dismantling and destroying the pieces, then disposing of it in one of several trashcans.

That being done I began my dreaded walk to the manner my feet dragging every step of the way there. When I walked up the stairs onto the porch, the front doors opened for me. I shivered the evil presence from a couple of mornings ago was back and watching me.

I had no doubt in my mind that those eyes belonged to that tormenting voice. Warily I crossed the thresh hold into the house, the doors slamming shut behind me and an evil laughter echoing through the house. It had gotten what it had wanted it had gotten me.

The voice urged me down up the stairs, and down the west hallway. There was a faded white door at the end; I opened it up, into a plain white walled room. The door shut and locked behind me with an ominous click. There was nowhere else to go now, my escape route cut off. In the room, there were four beds, two against each wall. At the foot of each bed was an old chest for storing belongings. Other than the window on the far wall, the room was bare of anything else.

'_**Now lift up the carpet in the back left hand corner,**_' the voice ordered.

Obediently I did what I was told revealing a trap door. I pulled it open revealing a set of stairs. Carefully I descended the worn cobble stone stairway. The trap door shut much like the other two doors, the carpet dragged back into place once again hiding all signs of the trap door's presence. I was left alone in a damp cell of a room. It contained one bed, and a hole for a privy located in the far right hand corner. The walls were slimy from the cool damp air. The floor was made of cool compacted dirt. I shivered, seeing floating images of other girls locked away down her in this room.

Locked away, desensitized, and trained for their part in the ceremony. This is where they were kept until they died, and now I would soon be joining them. Somehow, I knew this was true, and it began to become too much for me.

Left alone I sank down onto the dusty bed and cried out in grief. After many long hours, my sobs died down as I drifted off to sleep. Unknowingly to me, a voice drifted quietly through the room.

'_**Yes little-one, sleep and forget your pain, slowly you will forget everything, for when you wake you will be mine'**_ is said in a singsong voice before laughing madly. The mirror that I had not noticed above my bed glowed eerily as the voice spoke.

**Day 5: Morning**

**Naru's P.O.V**

I sat in the base along with everyone else stunned, Mai's letter laid on the table in front of me.

The words staring back at me bleakly:

Dear Naru,

By the time you get this letter, I will already be gone. I left on the five o'clock morning bus to head back into town, from their I am catching a taxi home. I cannot stand this case anymore. The dreams are horrible, and are breaking me down mentally. I am not sure how much more I can take. I swear there is a voice following me around whispering hateful things around every corner I turn. I feel as if I must obey my instinct and go home before something happens. I hope you can forgive me and I understand should you want to fire me when you get back. I am sorry, please see it from my perspective for once and forgive me one day. 

Mai

When I picked up the letter, I could feel Mai's fear all but leap from the paper. Something was not right I would bet everything I owned on that fact. If you read the underlined parts, it was like there was a completely different message being relayed. One that made me very worried for the girl I had sworn to feel nothing for. At a quick glance, it would look as if she was just stressing certain aspect about her job. I had a feeling that was not the case though. She was my assistant after all, and I may call her stupid, but she had grown a lot over the year she had worked with me.

"John go check the bus depot to see if there really was a five o'clock bus and if someone that looked like Mai actually boarded. Ayako try to call her cell phone and the school as a precaution," I ordered as I stared at the letter.

"She was acting strange yesterday I want to make sure she made it home it would be on my head if she didn't" I snapped at them, sending them running off to check clearing the room of all but Lin and I. Yasuhara-san and Takigawa-san had gone to the mansion this morning to check out the equipment. They all seemed to go dead right around seven thirty this morning, and I wanted to rule out an electrical failing before looking at it from a paranormal standpoint.

I sighed still holding the letter and staring at it. I could feel Mai's fear tangibly; paper being a material that absorbed emotions and events easily. She had been very afraid when she had written this. It was so unlike Mai to run off as she did. She was the one who always heatedly debated with me when I tried to get her to leave a few times. For her to just all of a sudden leave on her own…. No something was not right with this picture. I just could not accept the fact that she would leave like that.

I glanced over at Lin who was busy at his computer checking bus routes and times, then back at the paper. I could not help the feeling of dread that washed over me every time I read her short note. I began to concentrate, trying to pick up more than the emotions from the paper. I was awarded by a brief image of Mai, before she walked out the door. The look on her face was enough to say it all; she looked so helpless and afraid before the door shut blocking my view.

I was interrupted by the others however when they came back into the room.

"The teller confirmed that someone of Mai's description bought a ticket around one that morning. She said she was worried about the poor girl who sat on the bench and cried before getting on the bus." John said.

Ayako also came back saying that Mai was not answering her cell phone.

"The outgoing message said not to worry about her she would call in a couple of days but for now she wanted a break from everything. The school said she was absent for the day" Ayako finished before sinking down into a nearby chair.

Everyone seemed deflated with Mai's disappearance, each of them with their own thoughts.

'Mai, you better be okay' I thought still staring at the paper with her note on it worriedly. I was still not able to shake the feeling that something was not right, not right at all.

**Mai's P.O.V**

_I was standing in a dark area. I felt I should know this place, but I could not recognize it for the life of me. Before me stood a tall boy dressed in black. He had short black hair and soft blue eyes. He looked as puzzled as I felt._

"_What are you doing here Mai?" his soft voice asked me. Good question what I was doing here, wherever here was._

"_Mai?" the boy asked again coming up to me. I said the first thing that popped into my head at that moment. _

"_Who are you?"_

_**Gene's P.O.V**_

_I was shocked at her question and did a double take "Mai stop joking," I told her seriously, _

"_Do I know you?" she asked again, even more puzzled._

_If it could, I am sure that my heart would have stopped again at that moment. _

"_Mai, you don't remember me?" I asked hesitantly now very worried. _

_When she shook her head no, I felt a feeling of dread wash over me, something was not right here. _

"_Where are you Mai?" I asked trying to see a location, but all I was getting was a dark void, something was blocking me out._

"_I don't know, I was hoping you could tell me" she said again looking around her again._

"_What's the last thing you can remember?" I asked pushing her for information._

"_Falling asleep in a dark room, and then I woke up here," she answered._

_So, she didn't realize she was astral projecting either, what else had she forgotten._

"_Mai did you ever ask me about shielding?" I asked her more worried than ever now._

"_Shielding?" she echoed me back confused, as she started to fade, her connection weakening as she began to drift back to her waking body._

"_Mai wait!" I called after her but it was too late and she was gone._

_

* * *

_

**Authors Note Continued:**

To Be Continued…

So another chapter done, and Mai's been kidnapped, poor Mai. She just isn't catching a break is she. I also want to thank all my lovely reviewers because without y'all I would never of made it this far.

_Question: In m first fan fiction case, when do you first meet Gene?_

_Bonus: In my first fan fiction case when do you get Gene's first P.O.V?_

-Serena122189


	11. Case File Two: Blood, and Chills Part 6

**Authors Notes: **Okay so another chapter up and the story continues, I only hope I am doing it justice.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt, But I have found something I do own, and that is the plot of the stories I write, and the new characters I introduce.

_Answer: You first meet Gene in Chapter one of the Fiction, at the very beginning. Bonus: At the end of Chapter three you get his first P.O.V_

_-Flashback-_

"_Shielding?" she echoed me back confused, as she started to fade, her connection weakening as she began to drift back to her waking body._

"_Mai wait!" I called after her but it was too late and she was gone._

_

* * *

_

**Case File Two: Blood, and Chills Part Six**

I awoke on the dusty bed of my room having no idea how I had gotten from the dark black world to here, or even where here was. I got up and examined my surroundings, but found nothing familiar or to identify myself in the room. I did not even know if Mai was really my name, that boy had looked so familiar to me though so he had to have known my name, I would have to ask him more next time I saw him. If there ever were a next time, I would see him. The room I was in was bare, my feet making dusty footprints in the earthen floor. The walls were a dusty grey color, and the bed was the only real piece of furniture. With nothing to amuse myself I began to pace.

The silence of the room was deafening as I paced in endless circles bored. There was not even a clock in the room to tell me what time it was, the only other object in the room was a small mirror that glowed weirdly when I looked at it, but I soon forgot it was there. I had followed the stairs back up to the door, only to find that I could not push it open meaning I was stuck in here with no way out. I was ready to scream in frustration when the door did open at last. A tall skinny figure in a dark blue robe descended the stairs. His long boney hands gripped a platter of food and a book. He wore a white mask covering his face; his body creaked and gowned as he sat the food down on the bed.

"Eat you soup young-one" his voice rasped out. "While you eat I shall tell you a story"

With nothing better to do, I sat on the bed and picked up the tray, it had a bowl of chicken broth, an apple, and some bread slathered in butter.

As I sat, eating the figure began his speech opening the book to the very beginning.

"We will start in book sixteen chapter one," he told me before beginning to read his voice taking on a hypnotic quality that soon had me entranced.

"The Great Dragon came down from the heavens protecting its chosen family. For many years, the family prospered and grew. It was truly a blessing. From that day on every headman of the family worshiped The Great Dragon. Everyone except the Fifth Headman Ryuu, held the beliefs of The Great Dragon, Ryuu cast down The Great Dragon however, refusing to worship him. It was on that day that deceitfulness entered our family household. A day we have to atone for continually so we do not become like Ryuu…."

I had lost track of how long I had been sitting there listening silently. All I knew is that I did not want him to stop, and gowned aloud when he did.

"We will pick up here tomorrow," he said marking his place and shutting the book, before gathering the tray and walking upstairs the door falling shut with a thud leaving me alone again.

**Day 7: Morning**

**Naru's P.O.V**

It had been three days. Three long bloody days and we still had yet to receive any form of contact from Mai. She had not been to school, there were no reports of her getting off the five o'clock bus, and she had not been home according to her landlord. She was in all since of the word missing, and every day that I did not hear from her, I became more and more worried. My temper grew shorter and shorter until I just about snapped at everyone who approached me. I secluded myself from the others, my self-preservation instincts kicking in, without Mai there, our group began to fall apart at the seams.

John lost his normal cheerful persona, and Matsuzaki-san and Takigawa-san were constantly at each other's throats and not in a good way either. I began to wonder if our team would even stay together long enough to complete the job. Yasuhara-san who was always there to help became more quiet as the days went by.

To make matters worse we had yet picked up any activity on the case. We had moved on to venture into the manor itself, but it was slow going. We sat up equipment in a few rooms at a time, watched it for a day or so then moved to new rooms. In the last, few days we had covered roughly a third of the lower floors, always leaving before the sun set as a precaution. Nothing paranormal had happened yet. No screams, or spectrals, no bloody handprints or markings of the walls of any sort, nothing, the house was inactive as far as I could tell. Those long days had been pointless so far though and Mai was not there to help this time with her dreams either.

I was beginning to wonder if this house was even worth our time, or if we should just abandon the case and focus are energy on finding Mai.

Unless, Mai's disappearance and the case were linked, I was so lost now my thoughts all of them hectic confusing and chaotic. For the first time since Gene's death, I did not know what to do, and I did not like the feeling of that at all. My normal genius of a brain refusing to corporate with me and compute the data I was giving it.

All my sleepless nights going over source material had me drawing blanks; I could not focus without knowing what had happened to Mai. She was the one that primarily dominated my thoughts during my waking hours. Before I realized it I had drifted off to sleep for the first time in those three long days, my body simply shutting down in need of the rest.

_Naru's Dream:_

"_I still don't know how I know you," a familiar voice said, I turned around to see Mai talking to someone. I could not make out who it was from the distance I was at though. My first thoughts where joy because she was all right._

"_Mai" I called out joyfully my usual stoic persona slipping in relief, but she did not seem to hear me and I frowned. Was she ignoring me after all she had put me through?_

"_They read to me every day a story about a dragon" she answered the other person, "It's kind of nice, because it is the only time of day I get to see any company." She paused, I presumed listening to whomever she was talking to, I could not make out their voice either. The only one I seemed to be hearing clearly was Mai._

"_No, I'm eating although I wish the meals were different. I get the same thing every day. Chicken broth an apple and a piece of thick bread slathered in either cheese or butter." _

_Naru Dream Ends_

My eyes snapped open, I was on the couch papers spread out all around me. Obviously, I had fallen asleep while I was reading again. I looked around, but the base was empty and quite. Checking my watch, I realized that Lin must have led the expedition into the manner today. I slumped back onto the couch exhausted still. The hour or so cat nap being nothing to help me rebuild my reserves of strength. That had been when I remembered that bizarre dream I had. Mai had been in it, she was talking to someone, but I could not make out whom and that both frustrated me and made me concerned. She had said something about a dragon…that sounded familiar and had caught my attention but I could not place it at that moment. My sleep deprived brain just refusing to work.

'_Noll, she needs you, find her before it's too late' _

I sat up shocked looking widely around the room. For a brief second I had felt my brother's presence strongly, but now it was gone.

"Gene" I said aloud into the empty room.

It cannot be possible he was dead, how could he contact me. I must have conjured the voice due to stress. Then it hit me, Mai had talked about a dragon in her dreams.

My hands flew as I gathered up the papers trying to find the right notes. Finally, I found them; the ceremony had been preformed to the Great Dragon. The Great Dragon was said to have brought protection and prosperity to its worshipers.

There was a darker side to the story though. For eighteen years, the people would be safe and wealthy. However, at the beginning of the nineteenth year, a mature young maiden had to be sacrificed to renew the contract, if the contract was not renewed, the whole family was slaughtered, and the eighteen-year cycle began again passing on to whoever next dared to set foot on to its lands.

If the alter to the dragon was not dismantled and destroyed then the nearby villages would begin to feel the effects of the failed sacrifices on the nineteenth year, and every nineteenth year that followed the toll got higher and higher until a proper sacrifice was done or the alter destroyed. If there were no close villages, then the curse would be temporarily dormant, until a village, or settlement of some sort moved into its range.

Masono Village used to not be so closely located to the Manner. However, a freak mountain slide destroyed most of the previous village and made the surrounding ground weak and unstable. They were forced to relocate to their now current position.

There were notes made stating that girls as young as sixteen but no older than eighteen were used.

Could it be possible that Mai was forced to be a part of the ritual as the next sacrifice? My heart contracted painfully at the thought. I tried to slow down my reasoning so I did not rush into things. I had to be sure, but Mai's lack of contact made me almost positive.

I had always felt something was off about her letter and voicemail, coupled by her attitude change. She had been distant and distraught after the power outage. Still I could not be certain though. How I wished I had more solid evidence, and not the bases on some weird dream and conjured voice.

_**Gene's P.O.V**_

_Mai had left me again, she seemed to lose more and more of herself each day I saw her. First, it was just her memories, and then noticeably her personality began to change. It was as if someone was pulling her apart and rearranging her for their purposes. I had kept trying to teach her the rudimentary of shielding, but it was useless. She forgot everything as soon as she woke up. _

_The annoying void keeping her location hidden doubled as a block to keep me from teaching her anything she would need to remember._

_I did not know which entity was taking a dragon form so it was hard to combat it. All I could hope was that Noll, and her other friends would find her soon. The way she was progressing, I could tell she did not have much time left. I should of taught her some basics of shielding instead of leaving it up to Noll. _

_I gazed around the realm I inhabited while I waited for her next appearance. Her continued appearances were the only things keeping me sane. She might not know who I am or call me Naru anymore, but each time she appeared I knew she was alive._

_Out of desperation, I had tried to contact Noll telepathically like we did when I was alive. His shields that he built around himself ever since I had died had begun to weaken when Mai came into his life, and for that, I was grateful. _

_However, I had begun to notice he was closing himself off again with her disappearance. So I had no idea if my attempts worked or not. I knew I could not reach him because of the shields before so it was a long shot that I would reach him now._

**Day 8: Afternoon**

**Naru's P.O.V**

The forth day was reaching its midway point, and it was another day with no news on Mai. We had already contacted the police and filed a missing persons report, they had turned up nothing, but cold trails. If Mai did not board, the bus then she had to be in the village somewhere, yet when houses were carefully searched, no trace was found. Search parties wanted to check the forest around the manner, but nothing was found there either. The only place not searched completely was the manner itself, it was looking more, and more likely, she was in there somewhere.

That is if she was here at all. I would have much rather her run off and hide in some far distant country than have her trapped in there with who knew what happening. Even though no activity had been picked up, I had a bad feeling about the place ever since I first laid eyes on it. I was starting to wish I had never accepted the case no matter if it needed to be done or not.

"We will move from checking out rooms to searching it, it has been the only place not searched yet." I ordered gravely looking around the room. Looks of dread appeared on my teams faces with the thought of her being trapped somewhere in that place.

"I know it seems unlikely that she is there, so this is just as a precaution, stay in pairs." With that, I called for Lin and stalked into the manner itself, leaving the rest to follow.

'If you're in their Mai I promise I will find you' I thought silently as I ascended the stairway to the upper part of the manner for the first time since we began this case.

**Mai's P.O.V**

The days lengthened and spread until the only distinction between them was the one time a day I was fed, and got to listen about the kind dragon that helped people. My days began to take on a routine. Wake up, pace around the room, eat, listen to a story about the dragon, sleep, and dream about the boy who somehow knew me, wake up and repeat.

The boy always asked me questions about where I was, and what I was doing. He always told me to protect myself, but I never understood why, whenever I asked, I found myself on the verge of waking up and could never remembered what he said. It was all very frustrating.

I felt that whatever he was trying to tell me was important, but I could not figure out why, and after a while I began to stop caring since is seemed I would never find out anyways.

I began to become eager when I heard sounds above me, indicating that my boredom was about to be relived. Without realizing it I had began to live for the dragon. Everything else began to dwindle in comparison. The dragon's stories brought me relief from my board unremarkable existence. I knew the dragon was keeping an eye out for me. The Dragon was beginning to be all that mattered to me anymore.

"Mai" the voice of the sounds above me called, it sounded so familiar. There was some pacing around again.

"Mai, if by any chance you can hear me make a noise of some sort, anything would be helpful" the voice continued casting around the room.

"Lin get the others this room feels off" it ordered and a second set of footsteps crossed the ceiling of my room. Lin-san, that name was familiar to me as well. It had me wanting to call out to these people and let them know I was here. Whoever they where they seemed to be looking for me. Could it be I was important to them somehow?

'_**Quiet young-one and I will keep you safe.'**_ A voice hissed in my ear, and I jumped, falling off the bed surprised with a loud thump. I froze scared as the footsteps above me stopped.

"Mai?" the voice called again sounding curious, even hopeful now, I so wanted to answer that voice, some instinct in me telling, no demanding me to call out.

'_**Not a sound'**_ the voice hissed again, causing me to shiver.

Just then more footsteps entered into the room, "What is it Naru?" Another male voice asked, it too sounded familiar to me. Naru, the name struck a chord as the other male voice spoke again.

"This room's temperature is different from the others; it has an off feeling to it in general. I think we might have found some kind of activity but I am not sure what," the voice now labeled Naru said aloud.

"Do any of you sense anything?" Naru questioned.

It was quite above me for a little bit. I held my breath, torn between wanting to make a noise and not wanting to. I was confused by it all. Why did Naru have to sound so familiar to me. The voice and name clicked but for some reason I could not place where or why.

'_**That's it young-one, stay quiet and they won't find you I'll protect you'**_ the voice coaxed me. I was still sprawled out on the floor where I had fallen to afraid to move.

"Get some equipment and hook it up in this room" Naru's voice echoed as he gave his order.

"Takigawa-san, have you or the others found anything else yet?"

Takigawa-san? For some reason the name Bou-san came to mind when I heard that title. What was with these people and my connection with them? Again, I felt the urge to call out, and the voice hissed angrily at me as if sensing my want.

'_**You will listen, you are MINE now' **_it commanded.

A chilling aura swept over me, suddenly I found it hard to breath, and then I knew no more.

_Mai's Dream_

_I was in the black area again, the one where I saw the kind boy that knew me. I was confused at first because I had been awake, and now I was here. I spun around looking for the kind boy and found him walking up to me. _

"_Mai" he said by way of greeting, "You're early visiting me today are you okay?"_

_I shook my head yes still somewhat confused with what had happened. The boy seemed to sense my confusion, because his next question was asking me what had happened today. _

_Without a second thought, I began telling him all of what had happened to me that day, causing me to wonder yet again, where I knew him. His voice sounded familiar to me yet there was a distinct difference. My musings where interrupted though when I saw a relived look cross his face. _

"_You're saying Naru was there today?" he asked me again to confirm. When I nodded yes, he actually broke out into a smile. I began thinking on how much his voice matched the voice of Naru I had just heard._

"_Everything will be okay Mai, now that Naru is there, he will find you don't worry, just trust him when you see him okay." The boy told me as I woke up._

_Mai's Dream Ends_

The first thing I was aware of when I awoke was that the kind old skeleton man that brought me food and read to me was there. I barely registered his face before there was a blinding white light, and I found myself slowly forgetting all that previously had happened.

While I listened to the book of the dragon being read to me with rapture, I kept finding myself thinking of the word Naru and trying to figure out why.

"Child you seem distracted what is wrong" his calm voice asked me at the end of my lesson.

"I keep hearing this strange word, I think it is a name and I don't know where I heard it from." I told him.

"Peace young-one don't push the memory just let it go, all will be resolved in time." He told me before leavening. I found myself drifting off again into my first sleep without the boy. I caught myself wondering what we had talked about last time, because for some reason I could not remember it now.

As I closed my eyes I did not see the spectral form of a dragon floating above my bed, neither did I see the flash of the mirror in my room, nor here the whispered command to forget my past and serve the great dragon.

**Naru's P.O.V**

I was almost certain Mai was in the manner it was just a feeling I had. On a hunch, I ordered equipment put into the room I had heard the thump in when I had called out Mai's name. About three hours after we had left, the room's temperature dropped dramatically then rose back to normal thirty minutes later. Other than that, nothing else was picked up on the visual or audio feed. If anything, it was too quiet and too still.

I did not know what was with that room, but I knew I needed to figure out why that one room was different form all the rest. Something told me if I could figure that out, I would find Mai.

When I had stopped thinking she was missing and switched to trapped in the manner, I really had no idea. If I had to pinpoint it though it was after that strange dream, I had.

What I did know though was to trust my instincts and my instincts were telling me there was something weird in that room.

* * *

**Authors Note: **

To Be Continued…

Okay so I have just posted the sixth chapter of this case, I only have three more chapters to go before I start having to write them from scratch and my updates slow down a bit to allow that.

_Question: What are the titles of both of my cases?_

_Bonus: How many parts do each case have?_


	12. Case File Two: Blood, and Chills Part 7

Authors Notes**: Another chapter done, and another day past, I hope you are all enjoying my fan fiction. With the conclusion of this chapter, I would like to leave a little note I hope to conclude this case by no later than part ten or elven. Then I will be moving on to another case. Also for those of you that absolutely LOVE Ghost Hunt, and wish there were more episodes or more anime out there that was similar I have a tidbit for you. I have just started watching an anime called, Descendants of Darkness. It has the slight feel of Ghost Hunt I have found so far BUT…it has a slightly different theme and pace, and is shounen-ai. It has some slightly dark themes but enjoyable to watch nonetheless. With that being concluded let us move on.**

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Ghost Hunt, and sadly that's all there is to say.

_Answer: Case 1: A Samurai Dilemma, Case 2: Blood, and Chills. Bonus: Case one (A samurai Dilemma) has five chapters and Case two (Blood, and Chills) has currently, six chapters, but a total of nine and it is still unfinished._

_-Flashback-_

_If I had to pinpoint it though it was after that strange dream, I had._

_What I did know though was to trust my instincts and my instincts were telling me there was something weird in that room._

_

* * *

_

**Case File Two: Blood, and Chills Part Seven**

**Day 9: Afternoon**

_**Gene's P.O.V**_

_I began to worry when I saw Mai earlier than usual, this could not bode well. It was nowhere near the time she should be visiting me. _

"_Mai, what are you doing here so early?" I asked her, knowing if she was asleep, there was a chance she would not hear when my brother and the others came into the room again. Maybe that was the spirits plan. If Naru had moved onto investigating the area she was hidden, it would want to keep her quiet._

"_I got my story earlier today, I guess I fell asleep without meaning too, but it gives us time to catch up since I didn't see you yesterday," she told me._

_Immediately my eyes narrowed, "You mean you don't remember our conversation from yesterday at all?" I pushed her, that was bad, if she did not remember, then how would she know to call out for help._

"_I-No?" she said confused, "We talked yesterday?"_

"_Yes Mai, you had told me about hearing Naru above your room," I reminded her gently._

_For a brief moment her eyes sparked full of awareness when I mentioned his name, she looked like she was about to ask me something, but then she started to fade, she was waking up again._

"_Mai, try to stay" I begged her; "If you do I will tell you more about Naru and your connection with him." I tempted her I was not happy that she was going so soon, not after I had stumbled across something that might finally help her._

_For a brief minute her image solidified her face full of curiosity, then her body jolted, meaning someone on the other side was trying to wake her up. Her image wavered once… twice… three times… and then she was gone. I sat down on the floor in frustration, I had almost had something I had felt it at the tip of my fingers, but it had slipped through, my grasp yet again._

_Still this meeting did not go completely to waist. I had ammunition to fight with now. My own brother's name sparked an awareness in her I had not seen in a while, and that awareness just might be her saving grace. I planned to use that to my advantage. Slowly a plan began to form in my mind. It would help her in the end; I just hope she was not mad at me for it later._

_There was a way I could help her but I did not like it. I could fabricate a dream to send her too, I knew she could not be awoken when she walked in her dreams, I could use that to my advantage and finally get her out of there it was my only hope. I just did not like sending her to a dream to deliberately scare her._

**Naru's P.O.V**

I was back in that strange room again, feeling drawn their somehow, as if that one dusty blank room held all of my answers if I could just figure out how to make it reveal them. It was frustrating as hell. Everyday Mai was missing was a day closer she could come to the inevitable. The police already were beginning to look for a body instead of a living breathing Mai, but I had yet to give up on her. I could not shake the feeling that she was alive, but trapped. I had tried calling her name several times again but had received no more answers. If it had not been for the fact that Lin had heard the thump as well, I would have begun to think I had imagined it.

What I wanted to know is why we were not getting any responses now. What had changed, had it been Mai that thumped or something else. Maybe I was just slowly starting to go insane from lack of sleep. I had been going on small brief one-hour catnaps every few days since she disappeared. Even when I did, lay down I often could not sleep so there was no point in even trying anymore. Whoever took Mai was definitely going to feel my wrath when I found them.

Lin was worried about me, I could tell by his numerous glances my way as I stood in the middle of the one room we could not explain staring blankly at the wall. When I had looked at my appearance in the mirror this morning, I understood why. There were dark circles under my eyes, my hair was disheveled, my face pale and drawn, and my mood was downright nasty. My clothing rumpled, and the same outfit I had worn yesterday. I barely ate or drank, or did anything but read my case notes. I had ceased caring for myself in the most basic way possible and focused on Mai. If I was not able to save her, I did not know what I would do.

Thinking back to when I first met her, one of the main reasons I hired her, was because in many ways she reminded me of my brother. As I worked with her though, I began to see the distinctions; her cheerful persona was infectious, as much as her naivety to the world was enduring in its own way. Her stubbornness and self-sacrificing nature being the primary and most noticeable, the constant way she cared about everyone. The way her emotions played across her face, allowing anyone with the skill to understand how she felt, rather it was happiness, saddens, or anger. The way she treated others equally and tried to see the good in everyone, she was just someone to cherish, someone to protect from the cruelties of the world.

Even though Fate had other plans, bestowing ESP abilities upon her, she had endured it all, with the same cheerful outlook on life. I sometime wondered where she was able to find the strength.

Heck if Mai was here she would probably scold me for not taking care of myself properly. I smiled at the thought. She would go make some of that special tea of hers. The one she only made me when I was running myself down.

She would then storm into the base, or my office, or wherever I happened to be currently, set the cup down, and begin to pick up my paper work. I would argue with her and demand she leave my files alone, she would get mad and storm out, slamming the door, telling me if I wanted to run myself into the ground then so be it. I would drink the tea, and end up taking a nap. When I awoke, I would always find myself covered with a blanket, and my papers neatly organized with notations in Mai's handwriting. Everything from the current case, or whatever I happened to be working on sorted out and cataloged neatly. I would feel refreshed, and we would move on with the case.

It was a good thing I learned to lock up my notebook before I dozed off or there would have been some uncomfortable questions that would have followed should she ever read it.

However, Mai was not there to argue with me this time, which brought me back to my present predicament, about why I felt so drawn to this one room and I frowned.

**Day 10: Saturday Morning**

**Mai's P.O.V**

I awoke like normal, only to find that Mr. Boney was already their waiting for me to wake up. Without a word, he handed me my tray and began his daily reading. I often wondered what he did in between my daily lessons.

That is what the readings were he had told me when I had asked, lessons to teach me about the dragon, and my role in a very special upcoming ceremony. When I had pressed and asked what type, he just smiled a kind smile and told me he would tell me in time, and I was content with that.

He had left at his usual time, and I caught myself drifting off despite the footsteps I heard above me figuring they were just Mr. Boney's I really need to ask him his real name one day I thought as I drifted off.

_Mai's Dream_

_When I entered the black void, I immediately sensed something was different. The whole place had a menacing aura that put me immediately on my guard. The kind boy that met me appeared by my side instantly, _

"_I'm sorry," he said to me his eyes holding a bleak look, "I couldn't hold the dreams at bay any longer they want your attention," he explained. Immediately my surroundings faded and then reformed._

_When the spinning stopped, I noticed the sound of a continuous dripping noise echoing around me. My eyes quickly darted around to fully examine my surroundings better, and I found myself in a tomb like corridor. The walls where made of a rough-hewn stone, with dark stains running down their sides. The floor was smooth, but cold and damp. Shivering, I got up from my crouching position trying not to think about what those stains might be. Every few feet down the hall, I could spot a lit torch giving the corridor a very mid evil feeling as well. I slowly moved forward my footfalls echoing loudly off the corridor's stone interior. The air was smoky from the torches, who barely gave out enough light to see by._

_Drip, Drip, Drip, the sound egged me forward, and I began to make out a shape in the distance. _

_Drip, Drip, Drip the sound kept up persistently echoing all around me._

_I continued slowly forward, already fearing what that shape was. Slowly I took a deep breath focusing all my senses outward. I could see nothing save that weird shape; whatever it was, it looked like it hung limply from the wall. _

_I heard nothing save my own my own ragged breath, and that dripping noise, which meant it had to be coming from that shape on the far wall in front of me. I took a few more steps forward when my foot had plunged into something warm and wet._

_Drip, Drip, Drip, the sound continued on, compelled I reached down to touch my leg to find them both covered in this sticky residue._

_Slowly I brought my hand to my nose, and smelled it, it smelled strongly of iron. Revolted and not wanting to know what the liquid was I hurriedly wiped my hand on my pant leg. _

_Drip, Drip, Drip, as I got closer I realized that I was wrong, it was not hanging but impaled on the wall. Wanting nothing more to turn the other way and run now, I realized I could not. My feet slowly dragged me forward. _

_Drip, Drip, Drip, the sound continued. _

_Now I was sure it was blood dripping and the shape was a corpse. At an painfully slow pace I finally reached the shape and look hesitantly at what was fixed to the wall, starting with its legs, which were all hacked and cut up, one of its arms was half ripped off and hanging limply out of the socket. The chest was caved in, and stomach split some of it's vital organs spilling onto the floor, next up to the face with its lifeless eyes open and staring at me. I could not take it anymore and screamed._

_I turned as the dream dissolved leavening me back in the strange black area where I always saw Naru. There in the distance he stood perfectly unharmed, he approached me scooping me up and cradling me against his chest as I sobbed._

_I distinctly felt someone shaking me, trying to wake me up I suppose, but I did not want to go. I had to make sure he was all right. I had done everything the voice had wanted me to there was no reason for him to be killed like that._

_I clung to him desperately with all of my strength muttering, "I thought you were dead" repeatedly._

"_It's okay Mai, none of it was real, nor will it ever happen, I promise you" he shushed me, as I tried to calm down. _

"_I had to do something to break the hold of the spell you're in grave danger," he warned me as I felt myself begin to wake up for real. _

_Mai's Dream Ends_

**Day 10: Evening**

**Naru's P.O.V**

I jolted out of my dazed staring at the TV monitors when the mic's picked up a loud insistent screaming.

"Naru No!" blared through the speakers followed by sobbing and then a painful yelp, before all was quite again. The familiar scream had brought the whole SPR team into the room at a trot.

"Was that Mai's voice we just heard" John asked, to which I nodded yes, concentrating on the screen.

The temperature of the room dropped rapidly and for the first time I noticed the temperature change only effecting one area of the floor in the back left corner. Why I had never noticed it before was beyond me.

"No, Not again" Mai's voice floated through the room again, followed by another loud thump and a painful gasp that must have been from Mai, the temperature continued to dramatically decline, then without warning it returned back to normal like nothing had happened.

Like me the whole team sat tense, Mai was somewhere in that room, though why she made her presence known now and not earlier left all of us confused. When it was clear that nothing more was going to happen I rewound the tape. I had got to the part where she had screamed my name and looked at the time. 8:28 p.m she could have been having one of her dreams, which explained the screaming but not the words that followed.

"Lin" I snapped, walking out of the room and grabbing my coat. Screw waiting for daylight to be safe. Mai was in that room somewhere and I intended to find her, even if I had to dismantle that whole manner piece by piece. Without a word, I grabbed one of the packs we took with us into the manner and walked out the door with the rest of the team scrambling to follow me.

I noticed the sun just starting to peak over the horizon when we pulled up to the manner. The gravel crunched under the weight of the van as it came to a stop. There was no wind and the manner grounds were mysteriously still. I had the door open and hopped out as soon as it had stopped completely. Behind us, Takigawa-san pulled up behind us exiting his car with the rest of the team. Each of us had a full backpack of various equipment on our backs, we had been unsure of what exactly to expect.

What I knew for sure though, was that Mai was in there and alive. Although since we were supposed to think this place as harmless and useless, that much given by the apparent lack of activity, I had no idea what it would throw at us now that we knew better. There was only one way to find out.

The whole team followed me up the worn flagstone steps to the ancient wooden door. I gave the door a tug, the wood groaned, as it swung open reluctantly. I was immediately suspicious; cautiously I advanced across the threshold, the whole team close behind me. Just as Lin entered though the door slammed shut with a resounding bang. When Lin turned to check the door, it stuck fast, meaning we were not getting back out that way.

It seemed there was more to this place than meets the eye after all, remembering the story of the man who had entered to search for the child killers and had died I spun around. In the gloom of the darkness, I began to make out a mass movement of glowing red eyes. The eyes accompanied a creaking and groaning sound along with the shuffle of many feet. Shining my flashlight into the pre-morning gloom I picked up white, panning it over one of the red eyes, I saw what we were up against. We had an army of skeletons moving our way, and they did not look to happy to see us.

"Looks like this house has decided to show us what it is capable of." I acknowledged aloud, Lin whistled summoning his shiki, which leapt out in front of him looking like nothing but balls of swift light cutting through the thick ranks of skeletons splintering their structures beyond all repair so they could not get back up again.

"Naumaku san manda bazaradan kan!" came Takigawa-san's voice to the left of me his incantation turning several of the moving piles of bones into dust. His other hand rummaged in his robe looking for the spell seal to set up a barrier.

"Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Sai, Zen!" Matsuzaki-san's voice came from the right of me performing the nine cuts, her incantation unraveling the bones bindings and sent them clattering to the floor.

"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God" came John's strong voice to the rear of us as he confidently kept them from coming around the back.

Even though I was in the middle of their circle, my psychic ability to strong for me to use in a normal bases, it did not stop me from getting in a few good kicks of my own. Within fifteen minutes, we were surrounded by a mass of skeletal bodies from all sides. Piles apon piles of bones piled up, and still there was no end to them.

It looked like I had no choice; taking a step back into the middle of our group, I began to gather my ki, pulling the energy particles to myself. The air began to crackle and glow. I gathered the energy and compacted it, tighter, and tighter until, "Down" I yelled releasing the energy as the others dived for the floor.

A massive shockwave rippled outwards leveling the skeletons all around us as if they were nothing more than toys, the loud crashing sound caused all our ears to ring. For a second my vision blurred and I swayed and then forced myself to steady, if I passed out now I would not be able to help Mai. That thought alone helped me find another burst of energy.

All around me was a pile of rubble, and Lin was looking at me worriedly as he jumped up from the floor and hurried to my side. Impatiently I shook him off and stubbornly headed for the stairs.

**Mai's P.O.V**

I felt my eyes snap open when someone slapped me hard across the face, that is when I realized the loud sound that had been echoing around the room had been me screaming. A tall skeleton with glowing red eyes and a blue robe stood in front of me, and he looked furious. I rubbed my cheek and backed cautiously away from the skeleton man. He seemed unperturbed and just followed me, backing me into a wall. My memory was still somewhat hazy, but I realized enough that it was not natural and that, that skeleton thing was somehow responsible. For the first time since I walked into this room I noticed the odd mirror over my bed, it was flashing and pulsing all weird like, as I stared at it I slowly found myself forgetting why I was afraid.

Hurriedly I tore my gaze away from the mirror, but it was too late. The walking living skeleton had used my distraction to get a hold of my arms and roughly dragged me over to the mirror forcing me to look into it.

"No…Not again" I struggled, there was a bright flash of light, and then I knew no more.

I sat up with a massive headache and groaned trying to remember what had last happened to me. I could recall I had some sort of dream, and then the rest was a big blur. These holes in my memories were really starting to bug me.

A loud crash followed by an unearthly scream caused me to jump. Mr. Boney looked up worriedly at the ceiling at the sound of the noise.

"Young One we have to go the dragon tells me you're in trouble, some people are trying to kidnap you," he told me while pulling onto my arm, hurriedly dragging up the stairs and into the top room.

For a minute vertigo hit me as my surroundings suddenly changed and I stumbled, only to have Mr. Boney roughly jerk my arm up and half dragged, half carried me towards the door. When the dizziness passed he sat me on my feet and urged me into a run, when we rounded a corner, we ran smack into another group of people.

"Mai!" the male figure, who rather looked like the boy in my dreams called out as he took a step towards me. The instinct to run to him sized my body and I trembled taking a couple of steps forwards towards him before I could stop confused as to why I acted that way. I now stood in the middle of both groups.

'_**NO YOU ARE MINE!'**_ the voice blared in my head making me whimper and sink to the floor holding my head.

"Young One are you okay?" Mr. Boney asked stepping closer to me and the other group of people.

"See what they do to you stay with me" he ordered.

"No Mai come here," the other boy ordered also coming closer as if to grab me. With each step he took, a pressure began to build in my head. Frightened and completely confused now, I ran to Mr. Boney, clinging on to him, as soon as I touched him the pressure stopped. I felt him wrap his long arms around me, "Hold on" he commanded as he vaulted over the railing and took off running towards the back of the Manner.

"Mai!" I heard someone scream after me as Mr. Bony ran. "MAI…!"

* * *

**Authors Note Continued: **

To Be Continued…

Another chapter concludes and I move on. Thanks to all my reviewers for it is you I write for.

For those of you that might be curious about the anime mention above, here is a synopsis of it.

In this bureaucratic modern world, matters of afterlife and death are handled by the Ministry of Hades. Although most deaths are routine, wayward souls occasionally wander the earth not realizing they are dead-and that's when the Summons Department steps in to retrieve these souls. Veteran slacker Asato Tsuzuki is a shinigami (guardian of death) for the Kyushu division of the Summons Department, which means low-grade work and low-grade pay. In the introductory chapter, he teams up with rookie Asuka to help out a girl who has lost the will to live. After that quick assignment, Tsuzuki gets paired with the young yet powerful Hisoka as they investigate a string of "vampire murders" in Nagasaki. Figuring out the culprit turns out to be pretty easy-but the true motivation for the murders lies tangled within the roots of Hisoka's dark past.

_Question: I use skeletons and even name one "Boney" I got this Idea from another anime can you name the anime?_

_Bonus for those of you that know why they were given the name boney!_

_Hint: (You get one of these if the anime is not ghost hunt) The things are called "Fly Bones"_

-Serena122189


	13. Case File Two: Blood, and Chills Part 8

**Authors Notes: **Okay and just so everyone knows, I will make sure to bold underline and italicize the next part lol. _**I COMBINED OLD PARTS 8 AND 9 TO MAKE ONE LONGE PART INSTEAD OF TWO SHORT ONES**_ this means that after this chapter I will be all caught up and writing the finishing chapter. This also means that this chapter's questions will be the last questions for this cases contest and a winner will be announced in the final chapter. Also since I am now writing from scratch, and no longer rewriting, the next chapter may take a couple of days to write and publish, but I will do the best I can.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt, I do own the stories in this fan fiction.

_Answer :Kyo Kara Moah! Bonus:Yuuri gave them that name after one of them saves him._

_-Flashback-_

_Frightened and completely confused now, I ran to Mr. Boney, clinging on to him, as soon as I touched him the pressure stopped. I felt him wrap his long arms around me, "Hold on" he commanded as he vaulted over the railing and took off running towards the back of the Manner._

"_Mai!" I heard someone call after me as Mr. Bony ran._

_

* * *

_

**Case File Two: Blood, and Chills Part Eight**

The wind whistled as it rushed by, Mr. Boney arms cradled me to his chest as he ran. I was so confused. What was with that other group of people? How did they know me? Why did that one boy look like the one from my dreams? All these questions and more tumbled through my head.

"Mai!" the voices continued to echo behind us along with the pounding of rapid feet in pursuit. They were persistent, why could they not leave me alone, I did not know them. I did not know what was going on.

The walls were a dark blurry streak their color incomprehensible do to the speed Mr. Bony was running at, and the jumbled mess of my brain. Without warning, Boney stumbled, shook, and fell. A inhumane shriek coming from his tortured body as a ball of white light cut through it without mercy severing several of the connecting bones. His lifeless body dissolved the bones turning to a fine grey dust; my body continued the forwards motion however, strait towards a nearby wall.

Scared, I closed my eyes throwing my hands out in front of me bracing for contact. With a loud bang, I hit the wall hard and crumpled to the floor shortly stunned my wind knocked out of me.

'_**Get up and run!'**_ a voice echoed in my head, the order so strong, my body instinctively jumped up at the command, just as a tall muscular man with long light brown hair that was tied back came around the corner. He was dressed in standard Monk attire his robes flowing as he ran.

"Mai!" he exclaimed, slowing his pace down when I flinched away from him. I tried to crawl away, my body still stunned from my impact with the wall. I barely managed to move back a couple of paces when the others showed up.

"Mai stop now" another cool voice broke my body's advancement with a simple command. I was beginning to feel like some kind of toy pulled between two different forces, both who my body wanted to listen to for some reason. I craned my head around to look into the eyes of the boy from my dreams, but when I blinked, I noticed he looked slightly different from what I dreamed him to be.

'_**NO! I WON'T LET HIM TOUCH YOU!'**_ the voice shouted in my mind causing me to jerk and whimper from the intensity of it.

Just as the boy bent down to grasp my arm, I quickly darted away from his outstretched arm, only to find myself hemmed in, with a wall to my back. Why I had been busy, paying attention to the boy the others had surrounded me so I could not run off again.

"Mai what's wrong" the concerned female came from right in front of me. I whimpered, drawing as far away from the red headed miko, and as close to the wall as I could. Inside my head, the voice was raging at my situation.

**Naru's P.O.V**

I frowned as I walked beck over to Mai, something was not right here; she was avoiding me like the plague. Where I know that I was not necessarily the nicest person to her in the universe, I did show I cared on an occasion, but this was different. When I tried to approach her the second time after she was backed into the wall my eyes narrowed as she cowered from me again, squatting on the floor to try to avoid me.

She was whimpering again, holding her ears as if she could hear something the rest of us could not. It reminded me of that one day she had her dream and she had reacted similarly.

"Mai?" I questioned her squatting on the floor, but making no move towards her not wanting to startle her into doing something violent. I had no idea why she was acting this way, or what she would be capable of doing. I did not know the circumstances behind her disappearance or what had happened to her. There had to be an outside force of some sort.

"What are you listening to?" I asked curiously what I was not prepared for was her reaction.

As if my words suddenly sparked something she screamed, and lunged past me trying to escape.

Quickly I reached out, grabbing her arm as she darted past to restrain her. After all my hard work and worrying I was not going to let her get away without some kind of answer. What happened next surprised everyone. Mai let out a heart-wrenching scream of pain that caused me to drop her arm in surprise. Her knees had given out and she crashed to the floor and curled up into a ball.

"Mai!" I reached out instinctively to touch her again and ask if she was okay. The whole group looked just as shocked. What had caused her to scream out in pain? I had not grabbed her hard; in fact, I had barely touched her when she screamed. This whole thing was getting weirder by the minute.

**Mai's P.O.V**

When the strange boy had grabbed me if felt like an electric current had ran through my body. Unable to help it I screamed out from the pain, my legs gave out on me and I crashed to the floor. As I fell, I felt him let go of me much to my relief, and took the opportunity to protectively curl up into a ball.

When he went to touch me again I whimpered, "Don't touch me" to my relief he backed off, giving me a confused and worried look.

"I'm sorry I don't know who you are but please don't touch me again" I was crying now, I did not want to feel that pain again.

"I'll tell you anything you want to know as long as you don't touch me again, I promise."

I was torn on one hand, my instincts told me to trust these people, and I wanted to run into the boy's arms. On the other, I could not because one touch from him would cause me pain. In my head, I could hear the voice laugh at my predicament. What was it with all these people wanting me, I was not anyone special, I lived in a room by myself. My only company was Mr. Bony who read to me and brought me food. I lived by myself the rest of the time. What could I have done to attract so much attention.

"What do you mean you don't know me Mai?" the boy asked guardedly but his hand had backed off, thankfully.

I could feel eyes boring into me as if I was transparent and they could see all the answers inside.

"Just what it sounds like, I don't know you." I told him as steadily as I could manage.

"Well I do but I don't but that doesn't make since too me. I mean I seem to create you in my dreams, and even then, you look different. Your eyes are a lighter shade your hair is too as well as your hair is slightly longer, and it falls into your eyes. A dream and not reality so how could I know you…" I babbled, if I could keep him curious and talking it meant he might not touch me again. That would be a small relief on my part.

He just stood there looking at me in shock I continued to babble like an idiot while slowly edging further away from him. If I could keep him distracted maybe, I could slip away before any of them realized what I was actually doing.

"Jeesh what is it with all you people wanting me anyways. There's you, and the dream person who keeps telling me to trust you, even though you cause me pain when you touch me. Well that and the fact I really don't know who you are. Let's not get started on that bizarre voice…" I trailed off as it hissed angrily in my head.

"What voice Mai?" the boy said seemingly snapped out of shock at my statement.

"Is it here now with you like before in your dream?" he asked.

I was side tracked for a moment, "I told you about the voice already," I asked confusedly.

**Naru's P.O.V**

I stood there in shock as she babbled. She did not recognize who we were. Well that explained her actions earlier, but what in the world was going on here. What could have caused her to forget? Then there were the fact of her dreams, lighter hair/eyes if I did not know any better it sounded almost like my brother, but that was impossible right? Well maybe not but it was unlikely, or at least I hoped it was.

This was not the first time she had talked about seeing me in a dream though; there was that instant in our other case at Hokkaido Castle. Couple that with the fact that I had heard Gene's voice, or I had thought I did a few days ago. Why was this the first time I was hearing about this stuff. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Lin regarding Mai carefully as well as she talked.

Then she got to the point about hearing a voice, "What voice Mai?" I had asked her what she had said grabbed my attention. Could this be the reason why she was acting so differently?

"Is it here now with you like before in your dream?" I asked again ignoring the others shocked looks at this new information. I waited for her patiently to explain herself. She looked up at me confusedly when she found out I knew about the voice before.

Was this voice maybe the reason she could not remember any of us? If that was the case, then what could I do to resolve this problem. It obviously had her under some kind of spell or hypnotic suggestion of some sort. That's when I remembered our conversation back in the kitchen.

_-Flashback—_

_"I was wondering if there was any way I could protect myself if I had a dream like this again. I thought out of everyone else you would be the one to ask. Like a shield or something…" she trailed off when my body stiffened out of all the things for her to ask me about that had been the farthest from my mind. Just then, the whole house was plunged into complete darkness._

_- A few minute later…-_

_"It's alright Mai" I said softly as I turned her around to face me, I could tell she was severally shaken up still for everything that had been happening recently._

_"Your right there is a way to create a shield to protect yourself, would you like me to teach you how to do it when we get back?" I offered, and watched as she nodded in agreement_. _I would not mind teaching her if it would put her more at ease, I wondered where she had gotten the idea from. Could it have been a dream maybe…._

_-End Flashback—_

Originally, I had planned to teach her when we had finished the case and had gotten back to the office. Not wanting to deal with the hassle and questions about teaching her and solving a case at the same time, I thought she just wanted to know how to use it so she could protect herself in her dreams and had thought nothing more of it really.

If I would have known, she needed it for more reasons than that I would have given her, her first lessons right there in the kitchen. Still that gave me an idea, if I could coach her through the exercise now, it might just help us figure a few things out. The sooner we had more information to the puzzle the sooner it was solved, and Mai would be safe, since whatever this thing was it was after her.

I could be slightly dangerous for us to do it here and now especially if she could not control the energy; it was a risk I would have to take. I looked down intently at Mai being careful not to touch her. I did not want to cause her any more pain by accident. I also was blaming the voice she was hearing on that. I did not seem to want us near her at all.

"Mai I need you to listen to me I am not going to touch you again." I said as soothingly when she flinched a bit. I was careful to keep a good foot of space between us so she would not feel threatened and try to bolt again. I motioned to the others to spread out some down the hallway and watch for anyone or thing coming our way. Takigawa-san and Matsuzaki-san moving off to our left, John, and Lin moving to our right that left a small clear space around Mai and me.

"I am going to teach you something okay" I began again keeping my voice calm and collected.

"If you are able to do it, it will keep anyone from touching you or talking to you in your mind you do not want, you can call it a shield of sorts. Would you like to know how to make one?" I asked her, ignoring Lin's calculating look he threw my way. This would also be a test, to see if she even had the ability needed to create such a thing, as well as an asset if she managed to pull it off. When she nodded her head yes she wanted to know I began.

"Close your eyes" I ordered her softly.

"Don't worry I won't do anything" I told her when I noticed she hesitated. Once her eyes closed, I spoke again.

"Now relax, breath in slowly, and then exhale. Breathe in with the sound of my voice, and now out. In…and out…in…out…." I kept up the easy pattern having her breath in for a count of five, hold it for a count of two, then exhale for a count of five before beginning again. I had her keep it up until she began to relax completely and fall into a light trance. From their I would be able to direct her subconscious mind in what it would need to do. I would have to teach her later how to make a shield without going into a trance but I did not have the time to teach her the lessons now.

**Mai's P.O.V**

Slowly I listened to the boy as his voice changed becoming more calm and relaxed. I closed my eyes and began to fall into the easy pattern of breathing, if I was able to do this shield thing, maybe then I would actually have some time to think without all these voices clamoring for my attention. Speaking of voices, the one in my head had been silent for a while now.

'_**No don't listen to him'**_ the annoying voice said, shortly breaking my concentration, before I pushed it to the side and ignored all its angrily hissed commands as best as I could. Never mind it was back.

"Now gather the energy around you, pull it close to you, it is this energy that will become your shield." His voice instructed me from a distance. As I reached for the energy around me I felt the air start to grow heavier from the concentration of it on one area.

'_**He will hurt you'**_ the voice hissed ominously not giving up the fight.

"Picture a sphere and inside the sphere picture you. Imagine the sphere walls to be thick and impossible to break, make it to where nothing can touch you in there that you do not want. " His voice commanded, in my head huge spear came to mind, with a picture of me sitting safely in it.

Only I was not alone, there were two other figures in the sphere with me. One was the boy who was teaching me to make my shield; the other was the embodiment of a dragon. I understood it to be the annoying voice when it opened its mouth to talk to me.

'_**You will regret not listening to me'**_ it threatened.

"Now strengthen your energy, and focus on pushing the unwanted influences out of the sphere you created, continue pushing until all the unwanted influences and objects are outside the sphere leaving you safe inside."

'_**No you foolish girl you will regre…'**_ the dragons voice was cut off as the sphere pushed it out along with its influence. The spell it had me under for a moment shattered, and I began to feel a trickle of memories come back cutting through the fog in my brain.

"When I count to three you will slowly open your eyes, remember to keep a steady grip on the picture of the sphere as you do so. If you lose control of the energy you could very well get hurt," he warned me. The he being Naru, I was now starting to remember.

**Naru's P.O.V**

"One" I began to count her out slowly.

"Two" her eyelids began to flicker in preparation to open.

"Three" her eyes snapped open and the shield she had created wavered its energy sparking hectically as it began to lose form.

"Concentrate!" I snapped at her forcibly and in an instant, the shield re-solidified as she remembered to hold the shape.

I was surprised she had actually managed to successfully create a shield. I noticed, however, she was breathing hard, almost panting as the shield and the energy needed to maintain it began to take its toll on her body. I estimated I had about fifteen minutes before she collapsed and all hell broke loose as whatever inhabited this house was back in control. Still fifteen minutes was better than none. I would have to work with her on building up her stamina later.

"What happened" was the first question out of my mouth. I did not want to waste any time with getting to the details.

"The dragon told me if I didn't go it would kill everyone…" her voice trailed off.

"By everyone you mean the villagers, because really Mai we could have solved this case quicker without running around looking for you" I berated her. This was just like something she would do.

"Not the villagers…you, and the rest Naru I couldn't let you die I…" she stopped swaying slightly as her body began to give out. What she had said surprised me, she had did this to protect me.

"It claimed me, the dragon, it said I was no one else's no matter where I went it would kill everyone around me starting with those I held dear until I broke and came back. I'm to be the next sacrifice, it won't stop at nothing to…to" her speech began to slur as her eyelids drooped in tiredness. Her body was starting to give out on her.

"There is a mirror…in the room…I was…in…." her voice cut in and out as she slumped over the barrier she had created flickered once, twice, a third time before dying out completely as Mai lost consciousness.

I reached out to catch her just when she would have fallen to the ground; I tensed but relaxed when her body did not react negatively to my touch like last time. Apparently, the voice had no hold over her when she was unconscious. The only thing to do now was get her out of this house, and put a permanent barrier around her to keep the dragon out while we finished the case.

'You really are something, aren't you', I thought as I looked down at her.

She never thought of her own wellbeing instead she put everyone else's above her. She took it upon herself to protect us when we were threatened and had come in here. Even knowing that she would die, she did it to keep us safe. Just what all went through this girls head at one time, we were able to take care of ourselves we did not need a sacrificing on her half. She should have told us consequences be damned we could have managed.

Standing up, I tightened my grip on Mai as the house shook. The overhead lights flickered a few times before dying out completely. Next to him, Takigawa-san clicked on a flashlight he had brought, and Lin and John-san came back down the hallway towards the group.

"Neh Naru I don't think this house is too happy with us being here" Takigawa-san said jokingly as he came up to a standing position besides me.

"Always must state the obvious don't you, I would of expect something of that nature from Mai not you. I guess her ignorance must be rubbing off on you." I stabbed back at him a small smirk alighting on my face.

"Now if you're done plying around I suggest we work on figuring out a way out of here hmmm"

"The door we came through is locked, so we will not be going back out that way, it wouldn't even budge when I tried to force it open." Lin said quietly.

"Are only option is to continue down this hallway then and…" my voice trailed off as I swayed slightly, my vision going blurry as the effects of the kei I had summoned earlier in defense was starting to take a greater toll on my body.

"Naru" Lin asked me concerned; I stubbornly shook my head to clear it.

"The sooner we are out of here the better it will be for everyone." I continued as though nothing had happened.

"Lin, John you take the front and lead us down the hallway, I'll follow, while Takigawa-san and Matsuzaki-san will take the rear so nothing can sneak up on us." I ordered as calmly and collectedly as possible. I could not have the group worrying about me, when they should be focusing on getting out of here first.

I shivered as the temperature in the hallway began to drop, "Let's get a move on," I snapped at them when I realized they were still looking at me worriedly.

That seemed to catch their attention because they moved to their appointed positions without any more hesitance, as we began to work our way up the hallway, towards the door at the other end.

The dark carpeted carpet muffled our footsteps as we made our trek the temperature dropping rapidly, Lin moved ahead and tried to open the door. I was relived yet apprehensive that the door opened up so easily. Beyond the threshold, there was a single set of wooden stairs.

Lin carefully stepped forwards on to the first rickety step it groaned loudly in protest at the sudden weight, but thankfully held. A few more steps in and when it still bared its weight, he motioned the rest of us to follow.

John-san followed Lin down then it was my turn. The well aged worn down wood groaned under my weight as I made my way slowly down, a tight grip on the girl in my arms holding her securely.

The others followed a few steps behind; it did not surprise me when the door closed behind us predictably.

'This house really is childish in some ways, leading us were it wants, walking skeletons, it is almost like a B horror movie,' I though quietly to myself.

If only it were though, then it would not be as dangerous. I walked slowly and carefully making sure, I had a firm grip on Mai so as not to drop her. I focused on keeping my foot falls steady and strong, willing my body to continue moving forwards.

* * *

**Authors Note Continued: **

To Be Continued…

With this being the last questions, everyone who answers will get the allotted points. You have a chance for 48-ts in total. At the end I will Talley everyone's points and announce the winner when I post the next chapter. Good Luck you all and thanks for all the reviews. The more detailed your answer, the more likely you will get the full allotment of points.

_Question One (20pts):In the Ghost Hunt Manga, The Forgotten Children case, Mai is able to do something after everyone else disappears. What happened to everyone else, and what does Mai do? _

_Question Two (10 pts): In the Ghost Hunt Anime, The Cursed House File, who is the culprit, and what happened to Naru? What were this files episode numbers?_

_Bonus One (10pts): In The Descendants of Darkness Anime, who are the Main Characters?_

_Bonus Two (5pts): In my Ghost Hunt Fan Fiction what chapter does the flashback mentioned in this chapter occur, and in who's P.O.V?_

_Bonus Three (3pts):How many Ghost Hunt episodes/manga volumes are there currently?_

-Serena122189


	14. Case File Two: Blood, and Chills Part 9

**Authors Notes:**. Well here is another chapter, and the end of this case. (WOOT WOOT) Yes, I know this is a long case file, but it is over now. Thanks for sticking with me through it, and all of your uplifting reviews. Yes, I will write again. I am having too much fun doing this to end it here, and I love all my outstanding and wonderful reviewers/readers. There will be a summary of the next case file at the end of the chapter. The next case will have some interesting circumstances that promise to be creepy….

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt, but I wish I did.

_Winner Is: Amu Tsukiyomi with 150 pts. Congratulations, please see to the PM I send you._

_The Runner up should something happen to the winner is:_ _Chibi-Kyuubi-Chan who has 133 pts._

_The rest are as follows: chocolver69 51pts, and Bella68 11pts_

_Thanks for participating. And no hard feelings, If everyone would please VOTE if you would like a contest again by sending me a yes or a no in your reviews, if the answers are positive I will start a new contest with the next case._

_-Flashback-_

_If only it were though, then it would not be as dangerous. I walked slowly and carefully making sure, I had a firm grip on Mai so as not to drop her. I focused on keeping my foot falls steady and strong, willing my body to continue moving forwards. _

_

* * *

_

**Case File Two: Blood, and Chills Part Nine**

**Naru's P.O.V**

We had been walking for quite a while now, the house letting us go nowhere but down. All other doors, and windows, were securely locked when we tried them. Trying to break them down did not work either. This house was definitely leading us somewhere and I do not think it was going to be somewhere nice, but we had little choice. The house was playing with us, and it was only a matter of time before it gave up on its game. When it did who knew what would happen.

My vision swam again, my body more willing to shut down, now that my drive to find Mai had been satisfied, the long days and lack of sleep beating down on me, this coupled with the fact that I used my PK earlier, I was surprised I was still standing. I could tell that I was reaching my limits though and this worried me, I could not afford to have my body give out on me here it would be dangerous, not only for me, but for the whole team. I could not let them spend all their energy in protecting me. I had to pull it together somehow.

**Mai's P.O.V**

I groaned as I woke. I felt myself being sat down and I opened my eyes. The hallway was almost pitch black the exception being the thin beams of light the flashlights gave out. I blinked a couple of times trying to orientate myself with my surroundings.

"Mai?" A familiar sounding voice that I had not heard in a while asked.

"N-Naru?" I echoed back confused as to what he was doing here. I thought he would still be safe out of the house.

I heard a relived sigh as I felt his hand brush the top of my head.

"I am glad you still remember us" he told me. His words sparked some memories as my foggy brain began to clear up. I remembered being trapped in the house and everyone coming to find me.

"Yeah you gave us quite a scare there kiddo" Bou-san's voice piped in breaking my musings.

"Don't you ever do that to us again" Ayako's voice added.

I looked down sheepishly I had caused them all so much worry trying to save them. I should of known they would have looked for me. Maybe that is why had went along with the dragons commands so much, deep down I knew they would look for me and I had nothing to worry about.

"I'm sorry," I muttered.

"It's okay, we understand, just don't do it again" John said coming over to give me a hug.

"If everyone is done here can we get back to moving on." Naru commanded, his voice sounding tired and strained. It did not have the usual depth and authority in it.

I glanced up where he was located to see if he was okay, but I could not tell much in the poor lighting. I made out Lin-san by his side, but just barely. The Chinese man stood by Naru and looked somewhat worried. I stood up slowly trying to figure out why he was acting the way he did.

Just as I was about to move over to him and ask, he began to walk down the hall. The others just followed him; I guess I would have to find out more about that later. Our footsteps echoed off the stone entire of the underground passage that we were in. The house having led us through several hallways and down into a cellar, and then even further down into this passageway we were in now. With every step, I felt a seed of dread grow and grow in my chest my breathing hitched and my body trembled I stopped walking altogether. Somehow, I just had a feeling that if we went any more down this passageway something bad was going to happen.

The others headless to my state continued to walk on, finally I seemed to be able to find my voice box and get it to work properly.

"Naru" My scared thin voice echoed around us as the footsteps died down when I spoke, everyone having turned towards me, "I don't think we should go down this way, something will happen if we do, I just have this feeling" I said.

I heard a set of footsteps, as Naru walked over to me. In the light from the flashlight, his skin looked very pale and his face worn, "What kind of feeling?" he asked as he reached me.

"Dread, this was the place in my dreams where…" I trailed off.

"It will be okay Mai; nothing's going to happen to you." He told me cutting me off as he put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Didn't you say that the girls came in through a different way?" he asked, when I nodded, he continued.

"Do you think you could find that different way?"

"I think so" I said.

"Good, then that will be are way out since we can't go back behind us. Just stick with us and we won't let anything happen to you I promise."

Even with the promises that nothing more would happen, I could not quell the feeling of dread that continued to grow. I was also surprised. Sure, I had made a shield, and expelled the dragons influence, but why had it not come back yet. What was it up to, for it to have gone through so much to bring and keep me here why the sudden disinterest?

The darkness in the corridor seemed close in around us. The air had a smothering quality and the feeling of dread continued to grow. Ahead of us, I could barely make out the outline of a door blocking the way. Slowly we got closer to the door. Closer and closer, we drew until we were at the door itself.

The door was surprisingly unremarkable. It was made of an old plain, a small dragon carved into it with an old-fashioned brass handle. For a door that led to an occult ritual room it really was a letdown. You would expect it to be more elaborate, maybe have some words or something written on it. But, there was nothing of that sort here. Just plain old wood and a carving, that was all. There were not even flames coming out of the dragon's mouth. The dragon was curled up and sleeping.

Lin paused at the door before reaching down and turning the handle. I heard a click, and the door swung open with ease. The chamber was dark on the other side. It was hard to see, even the flashlights barely cut through the gloom of the room. Slowly Lin advanced into the room, John followed, then me, Naru, Bou-san, and Ayako. The air felt cooler in here. The space felt so vast and empty.

The door swung shut, the snick of a lock followed, but we had gotten used to it by now so none of us so much as flinched. Were we really going to be able to get out of here with no more confrontations? Out of nowhere, bright lights flooded the room as each of the torches along the wall sprung to life. The large bonfire, in the middle of the stage that held the alter also sprang to life.

Okay I guess we will not be leavening easily. The old wooden dragon statue flickered in the fire light it giant maw open and pointing at the bonfire. From our distance, we could clearly see the sacrificial table. It was metal, iron rings were embedded to the side where the ropes would be strung through. At the base of the stairs was the door the sacrificial maidens would enter through.

The metal bucket that collected the offered blood gleamed, beside it a small table held the silver dagger, two pots and a fan. Everything was clean and set. I glanced above me at the ceiling; I could barely make out the outlines of the dragon. I knew from the dream though that as soon as blood filled the metal container that the lines making up the dragon would turn silver.

The rest of the room was strangely empty, I would have felt better already if something would just attack us and get it over with. I kept expecting something to leap out at us and it was getting very nerve wracking when nothing happened.

"Where is the passage you emerged from in your dreams" Naru's voice cut across the silence of the room.

"At the base of the stairs" I pointed out the small passageway.

One last glance at the empty room and I followed Naru and the others across the expanse. Behind us stood rows and rows of chairs where the family sat and viewed the sacrifice. We had almost made it to the door, was almost home free when all hell broke loose. A loud ear-shattering roar caused me to spin around and see what had caused it. The huge dragon statue that had been previously laying on the elaborately set up stage stood up and shook out its body.

It flapped its wings a few times before roaring its challenge again, I felt a pair of hands shove me forwards, and realized Naru was trying to get me to move. I turned and noticed the others were already making their way across the floor to the side passageway. Naru, Lin and I where the last ones to move, Naru waiting on me and Lin on Naru. The dragon gave one finial roar, before gout of fire cut across the expanse of ground blocking the route, causing everyone to stop abruptly in their tracks.

With a gigantic leap, it fluttered its wings and landed in the diminishing flames. Now instead of fire we had a two-ton beast blocking the tunnel. The dragon's massive tail rammed the wall causing a cascade of stones to rain down blocking our exit we were now trapped. Bou-san, Ayako and John backed up to us, away from the wall and the dragon.

"_**If only you would have left the girl you would have lived. Now you all must DIE"**_the dragon punctured the last word with another roar.

"_**One by one just like I promised, there is no hope for you now"**_ slowly it advanced forwards, its large beady eyes locking on Naru.

"_**Starting with you"**_ it lunged forwards at the same time as Lin-san's shikki collided with the dragon's maw, as Naru hastily backed up.

The dragon roared in frustration, backing up a step before lunging again, only to be met with another ball of bright light. Angrily it spit out more fire causing all of us to scatter out of the way. Lin's shikki still circled the beast looking for an opening to attack. Naru stood still as he looked up at the dragon, the air beginning to grow a faint light around him. All of a sudden, Bou-san came up beside him and shoved him to break his concentration.

"You can't do that again, you can barely stand as it is."

Naru looked like he was about to say something but was interrupted as he had to dodge the dragons whip like tail.

Ayako and John were at the back of the cavern. They stayed as far away from the dragon as they could get not wanting to attract the dragons's attention to themselves as they moved the rubble out of the tunnels way so we could escape. They had managed to get behind the dragon while its attention was focused on Naru, Lin, and Bou-san. I was left standing alone, the dragon not wanting to harm me just teach me a lesson. I sank to my knees; if Naru and everyone else would of just stayed away none of this would have happened.

The dragon reared up on its hind legs coming down with a thunderous smash causing more rubble to come down from the ceiling as it tried to stomp Naru and the others out of existence. We could not keep this up much longer the near misses were increasing in number and getting more daring.

"_**You will not win!"**_ the dragon hissed, swiping its tail the extra appendage barely missing Bou-san as he threw himself to the ground to avoid it.

"This is enough, Takigawa-san, Lin back off" Naru ordered.

"You can't do that Naru, it would be dangerous." Lin exclaimed.

"I have no choice" he spat back. Then walked away from them, approaching the dragon, his body began to glow white as he gathered his kei once again. The air around him began to distort, as the energy got higher and higher.

"_**What is this, this power, no one can control this much power. You must die, DIE!"**_ the dragon roared spitting out fire at the approaching Naru.

"NARU!" I screamed coming to my feet worried when he did not dodge the oncoming flame, but stood firm.

The flame reached him, but instead of consuming him as I had thought it was, it was turned to the side by the shear amount of energy radiating off of him. There was a blinding flash of golden light as Naru fired the collected energy at the dragon. A huge explosion detonated in the room. The dragon gave a pained roar its wooden skin catching ablaze and splintering due to the sear amount of energy running through it. Rocks rained thickly from the ceiling as the whole room shook causing everyone to stumble as they struggled to keep their footing.

As the light disappeared there was nothing left of the dragon but a blackened creator where it once stood, all around us rocks continued to fall. To me it seemed like everything was happening in slow motion.

"There's going to be a cave in we need to get out of here" Bou-san exclaimed.

"The tunnels still blocked, we need help moving these rocks." Ayako snapped back.

"Naru!" Lin exclaimed as he collapsed to the ground, his body giving out on him finally. A large piece or rock broke away crashing down missing him just barely as Lin scrambled to pull him out of the way of any more harm.

Everyone had gathered by the tunnel trying to move the rocks out of the way so we could get out. It did not look like we were going to make it though. The rocks were coming down thicker, and dust was beginning to cloud the air making it hard to breathe and see.

"Taniyama-san! Taniyama-san!" Lin called, causing my attention to focus on him instead of at the rocks coming down around us.

After seeing that he had got my attention, he spoke again "Can you put up another barrier and keep the rocks off us, I fear the worst if this keeps up, and Naru needs to get out of here"

"I don't know how I did it the last time." I told him, "I just pictured it and it happened."

"Well you better…" whatever he was about to say was lost as another bolder came crashing down towards him, only there would be no dodging it this time.

"Lin-san, Naru, NO!" I threw my hand out as if the simple notion could save them.

The bolder crashed down throwing up dust so thickly that it obscured our vision and made us cough. That one rock seemed to be what was supporting the ceiling because after it fell the whole thing groaned and started to cave downwards, the full force of it coming down to crush us. I flinched closing my eyes waiting for the impact to come and take my life. To take it as it had done Naru's and Lin-sans. Only the awaited impact never happened. The rain of stones coming to a quiet halt, had it already happened? Was I dead?

"Taniyama-san, its okay you can open your eyes now, you did it just in time." An unexpected voice told me.

Warily I opened my eyes, "Lin-san?" I asked seeing him standing there in front of me now, in his arms Naru, both of them unharmed.

"Yes, you did it Taniyama-san you created a barrier just in time" he said, causing me to look up.

A light sheen of multi colored-light blanked a small-enclosed area that Lin, Naru, Bou-san, John, Ayako, and I were standing in. Above the light the rocks that had been previously raining down on us stopped. Instead, they were piled neatly around the light, it giving them the support they needed not to collapse in on us. It was almost as if we were inside a giant bubble, looking out.

I sank down onto to the ground in shock, I had done this. I had somehow created a barrier to save us. The last thing I remembered thinking was that I did not want Naru to die, and somehow I had done this. Now I had done it once before, but that had been different, Naru had coached me through it, this one I had managed to do on my own, although I had no idea how I had managed it.

The other one was to push out spiritual influence; I did not know I could do one that would work against inanimate objects as well. Apparently, I could though.

"Taniyama-san?" Lin-sans voice broke my train of thought.

"I'm okay, just surprised" I answered back weakly, "How's Naru?"

"He is breathing, but his pulse is low, I fear for him if we cannot get out of here soon."

I sighed in relief, and looked around at the others looking back at me and then up to the rocks piled above us then me again. I could tell they were just as shocked as I was.

Now that I was done admiring the shield, barrier thing I had managed to create, I began to feel the energy needed to create something that big drain the energy from my body.

"I really don't know how long I can hold this, I wasn't even sure I could do this" I spoke aloud, "At least not to this extent. This is different than what I did before, I can feel it."

My voice seemed to snap the others out of their shock and they began to move the rocks away from the tunnel again. I only hoped that the tunnel had remained undamaged. If it was completely blocked, I did not know what we would do.

I could feel the pressure of the rocks pushing down into the barrier, seeking to get in as my energy slowly trickled away. The pressure becoming more noticeable as more time went by, I could hear the others behind me working to clear away the blocked tunnel. Then a exclamation as they shifted the last bolder free to reveal a free tunnel.

"I'll go in and make sure its stable, you guys wait here." Bou-sans voice reached me as I turned to watch him disappear into the tunnels mouth.

The barriers light flickered as we waited for Bou-san to come back, Ayako came over and sat by me.

"How are you holding up Mai?" she asked me.

"Okay I guess, but I am getting really tired. I can feel the rocks pressing down on the barrier, seeking an entrance. I don't think I can hold it for too much longer." I told her, the light that had been so bright earlier had already dimmed some.

"It will be okay, just try to hang in there, as soon as the monk gets back we can leave" she encouraged me.

"Okay" I said and smiled weakly at her, just as Bou-san came back declaring the tunnel to be free of any rocks.

Ayako helped me to my feet allowing me to lean on her as Lin-san went over to pick up Naru who was still unconscious. Together we all hobbled out of collapsed underground chamber and into the tunnel. The further I moved from the barrier the more energy it took to maintain, but I was afraid to let it go before we reached the surface.

Ahead I could barely make out a glimmer of light we were free, we were safe. A distant rumble was heard as the barrier I created gave away and the rocks filled the hollow space that was there.

**A Few Days Later**

I bet you're glad to be out of there Naru" I teased him as we pulled out of the hospital parking lot. It had been a month since we had escaped the manner. After being admitted by the local hospital, after he collapsed he was finally able to go free. It was a miracle that none of us had been seriously injured, the doctors refused to accept payment for treating us. Rumor has it that we had entered the house and did battle with a demon. We had become legends of sort in this small town. I did not think the hype was going to go away anytime soon.

The area where the manner had stood was now just a giant crater in the ground. The crater encompassed the manners property only, it had expanded no further, the remaining ground remained safe, and secure which was surprising.

The only other in are group to have had to visit the hospital was me. I had collapsed after I let the barrier go and had remained unconscious for a day. They had admitted me but I was soon released.

I was just happy we were finally going home and could leave this case behind us.

I was startled out of my thoughts when a small box was placed in my lap. When I looked up and Naru questioningly he merely raised an eyebrow and I opened the box. Inside it a small thin cell phone laid.

"You had said you were forced to break your old one, and I can't having you run around without one, or I might never be able to contact you" he said as an explanation.

"I already programmed the office number, as well as everyone else's in there for you." When he was done, he turned and looked out the window leaving me looking at the box and then him.

Had Naru just given me a gift?

**-Case Closed-**

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**

**Authors Note Continued:**

So what did you all think of the conclusion was it good enough for you, did you all like it. I hope I was able to do a good enough job to satisfy everyone. I have another great case in the workings and on the way; you can see a summary of it at the bottom. Let me know what you think and don't forget to vote about the contest do you want another one, yes, or no. Until I see you again.

**Summary: **A strange occurrence is happening to a local piece of Tokyo real estate. This beautiful property is in the middle of Japan's most unsolved deaths mysteries. There are no gas leaks, no biohazards or chemical radiation. Nothing out of the ordinary showed up and all the tests ran came back clean. Yet every single family that has moved into the house in the last forty years has had at least one family member die. What makes this case so unusual that all deaths were young children or in rare cases younger adults. Each family reported strange happenings and uncertain claims that are out of the ordinary. Claims that have doctors baffled and physiatrists scratching their heads at the stories they heard. This had made it next to impossible to rent out or sale the house. Desperate to fix the problem so he can sale the house Aomori, Hachirou approaches SPR for help. The Ghost Hunt Continues.

-Serena122189


	15. Case File 3: I Just Want To Be Real P1

**Authors Notes:** All right I am back and with my new case and chapter YAY! I had wanted to do a case like this one for a while so I hope it all works out. I would like to ahead of time dedicate this case to a close friend of mine who helped me iron out all the details. So Thanks Frieda, I would also like to thank all my reviewers. Although am a bit disheartened that I did not get that many reviews about the last chapter. (Did you all not like it?) I hope the reviews pick up because without them I do not have the drive to write. Without a drive to write, I am liable to quit this fan fiction after the forth case. Amu Tsukiyomi has contacted me, we are working on the forth-case file as we speak. For those of you waiting to see Naru's and Mai's relationship grow closer finally instead of just thoughts look no further there will be some interesting moments in this chapter. Please Read and review. Thanks

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt, hmm maybe I should wish on a star, and my dream will come true.

_Verdict on Contest Is: I got one yes and zero no's since no one else voted I guess I am doing another contest._

**Summary: **A strange occurrence is happening to a local piece of Tokyo real estate. This beautiful property is in the middle of Japan's most unsolved deaths mysteries. Desperate to fix the problem so he can sale the house Aomori, Hachirou approaches SPR for help. The Ghost Hunt Continues.

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**Case File Three: I Just Want To Be Real Part One**

**Forty Years Past**

SNAP! A camera flashed taking a picture of a sweet little girl playing on her swing set. Her long black hair flowing in the wind, her face alight with joy as she lifter her little feet to make the swing go higher. Her bright green eyes sparkled in the setting sun. She was the perfect picture of youth and innocence all rolled up into one.

SNAP! The camera captured the same little girl as she bent over to straighten her dolly's hat. The doll having a sweet face that always smiled, and just at about the child's height like the little girl, she wore a sundress and matching hat. Her blue eyes stared up at the child as if she could really speak and her sun gold hair glowed warmly in the sunlight, an assortment of ribbons laid at both of their feet. The little girl was playing with the dolly's hair.

SNAP! The girl was handing her doll a teacup to drink out of, they were having a tea party out in the garden you could see a small pond in the distance. On and on the camera went. There was a picture of her a little older now her first day of school holding her lunchbox. Cartoon pictures painted on the front of it. She gave her dolly one last pat before heading off to school. The same girl a different day holding the doll and crying about some kids being mean to her at school. Her little face red and blotched, as she held her dolly tight to her chest seeking comfort.

SNAP! One evening a picture of the little girl finding out she could make her toys lift with her mind, her freaked out parents standing by her side watching her as she showed them her trick. Dolls, and stuffed animals floated in the air around her. The pictures kept coming. There was one of her laying down on her bed turned towards the doll talking to it. Another one of her taking a bath the doll in its own bathtub next to it and still the pictures kept coming all the way up to the last ones.

SNAP! This one coming from a different camera it shows the same sweet girl only this time the picture is sadder. Her rosy skin is now pale, her hair and clothing stained. A pool of blood surrounds her as she lays in it face down. The culprit a kitchen knife laying nearby her hand the whole thing covered in the young girl's blood, behind her the doll sits prim and proper in its little chair but something was different about it, a look that was not their previously. She seemed to have a sinister smile adorning her once pleasant face. Other pictures show them bagging the girl up in a body bag. She had been so young. She had just turned six and now she would never grow a day older. Never have boyfriend, never get married, or grow old. Never, never, never.

SNAP! The lid of a casket closes over the sweet girls face; she is arranged so that it looks like she is sleeping peacefully the doll clutched in one of her arms her faithful companion to the end. Both of their shining long black locks brushed smooth, the doll somehow looked sad being clutched by the girl as she was almost as if she knew her companion would never move again. The report said it had been an accident, that she had got the knife to use for something and tripped and fell on it. She bled out before anyone was wiser. The girl's fingerprints were the only ones found on the handle of the blade so the story fit.

SNAP! The finial picture the two parents standing outside their house a for sale sign in the background. They could not stand to live there anymore it reminded them to much of their daughter they no longer had.

SNAP! In one instant a life was ended, and people where left behind grieving for those that passed.

Snap.

**Present Time Tuesday 3PM**

**Mai's P.O.V**

It was a beautiful day. One of those days that come by so rarely and you wish there was more of, not a cloud in the sky, and a cool but not cold breeze. It was the day one would go for picnics on or trips to the beach. A day where you would go to the park or fly a kite, a beautiful day that was what today was only I did not get to go out and enjoy it.

I was sitting at my desk at SPR as usual. It had been over a month since our last case. So much had changed since then. Now not only did I work as a secretary but also every day for an hour, Naru would train me in making shields. He took the job very seriously keeping at me until not only could a summon one in an instant at a moments notice. But that I could also make one strong enough to keep anything from touching me. He also worked on my endurance, having me make a shield and hold it for as long as I could. So far, I could manage to hold one for up to forty-five minutes.

Other than that, the office was strangely quiet. We had a few clients come in, but none of their cases interested Naru so he turned them all down. I already had done my training for the day and was now on my computer checking the company email. If there was nothing important I would probably start on my school work since there was no filing to be done.

I scrolled down through the email, most of It just being junk when I came across one marked urgent. Curious I clicked on it and read the email:

Dear Shibuya Psychic Research,

I am Aomori, Hachirou the president of Arioso Housing Agency. We have recreantly come across a problem with one of are pieces or real estate. It is a beautiful three bedroom, two-bath house that comes with a attached garden and a small pound. It is two stories tall with a small balcony out back attached to the master bedroom. However, for the past ten years we have not been able to rent it. This was due to a span of deaths that have occurred there, people think the house is cursed by some kind of evil spirit and refuse to rent it. Not one tenet that has lived there has escaped without incident. The moment they leave the youngest in the group dies. These deaths are all ruled to be natural or accidental. This rash of deaths has happened for the last forty years. With forty years of history, you can see why people are reluctant to want to rent it. I was hoping that you and your team would come and take a look at the house. We are willing to pay your fees even if the house is said to be inactive. Just you having come by and look at it will be enough to help our company. I hope to hear from you soon.

Aomori, Hachirou

I hit print, the printer coming to life as it printed out the email. The case sounded interesting, who knew Naru might accept this one. While the printer was going, I clicked on an attachment that had several pictures and reports about the house. I printed those as well. While the printer was going I poured Naru a cup of tea, he had not called for one in a while so I would bring him a fresh cup with the papers. The printing done, I placed all of the paper in a folder the email being on the top and placed it on the tray with Naru's teacup. Walking across the office, I knocked before opening the door. Naru was sitting at his desk as usual a map spread out in front of him as he studied it intensely. An empty teacup sat on his left hand side and his black notebook on the right lay open as he made some notes.

"We received an email from a client I printed it out and brought you another cup of tea," I told him by way of greeting placing both on the desk before collecting the empty teacup.

"Is there anything else you would like me to do?"

"No, that will be all Mai" Naru answered already pausing in his work and reaching for the folder.

**Day 2 Wednesday:**

The van pulled up to a small house. It was painted a warm yellow color with white trimming. The whitewashed fence that encircled it encompassed the whole property. A small gravel pathway led from the pavement to the front door. The pathway had yellow daisy flowers planted along the sides. In the front yard stood an old tree a swing tied to one of its thick branches. You could see the glimmer of a small pond behind the house itself.

As I got out of the van I could feel a since of peace wash over me. Something about the air quality hear just made me feel so refreshed and at ease. I raised my arms up stretching from the long ride enjoying the way the afternoon sun warmed my tense muscles. This beautiful house would be are place of residence until the case was solved.

Behind me Naru stood surveying the property with interested eyes, even he seemed more relaxed here. The door to the house opened as the real estate agent stepped out to greet us.

"Good Afternoon Shibuya-san and company, we had spoken via email, my name is Aomori, Hachirou this would be the house we were talking about. Would you like to come in for a tour?" he opened the door wider ushering Naru Lin and I in.

Behind us another vehicle pulled up, it looked like Bou-san and the others had made it to. Once we were all inside the main room, Aomori-san continued the tour.

"This would be the living room, this house was built with more of a western than a Japanese feel although there are some Japanese elements still present further in the house." He paused allowing us to look around the spacious living room.

The carpet was a plush cream color, the walls a pale green teal. With the bay window at the front of the house, it gave the whole room a warm feeling. White couches and glass tables filled the space, and in one corner, a small fireplace adorned the wall. On the other side of the room, I could make out a kitchen through the partially ajar shoji screen door. A hallway stood on the left hand side, a small staircase at the end.

"On this floor we have the study, kitchen and a bathroom. The bedrooms are on the second floor, and the basement can be found in the kitchen. Our agency took on the responsibility to stock the kitchen and bathrooms with anything you might need," he explained as he finished the tour.

"I have left my phone number on the refrigerator should you need me for anything after I leave today. Be careful going down into the basement however the last tenets said the stairs were a little rickety and we have yet to replace them." He continued as we came back into the living room from our brief tour. Sitting on the couch he popped open the briefcase he had been carrying pulling out a thick manila envelope.

"As requested here is a copy of all the police reports filed on this location. You had said something about trying to find a connection between them all, I hope you have better luck than the police did." He laid the folder on the table.

"Is there anything else you would need of me…no then I will take my leave now. I am hoping my boss is just taking unneeded steps to sale this place and that nothing will happen to you or anyone on your team." He bowed briefly to Naru before leaving.

**Naru's P.O.V**

I turned to the rest of the group in the living room. This was quite a spacious house. The atmosphere it created was really relaxed and inviting as well. It was hard to see anything malicious happening here. The air held a quality to it I had not felt since I had been home. I wondered briefly if this location was built on any of the known psychic ley lines. I would have to get Lin to check it out later.

"I know you are all wondering why we have come to this place. I am glad you were all able to make it." My eyes panned over the group. Hara-san Matsuzaki-san, Takigawa-san, John, Mai all of them sat nearby.

"We had been called here on the grounds of an interesting phenomenon that seems to be taking place in this house. For the last forty years, a single death happened in every family that lived here. The most common being young children and young adults, very rare cases have there been anyone over the age of twenty die. Yet nothing abnormal has been found in the house and all the deaths were ruled to be either natural or accidental in nature. Locals have begun to think this house cursed and refuse to rent or buy it from the relaters. Hence why we were called in. The C.E.O of the Arioso Housing Agency wants us to determine if there are in fact any curses or spirits lingering in this house. And if so to cleanse the house of them," I explained to everyone.

"I would like to set up base in one of the bedrooms, and the equipment thru the house. Hara-san do you sense any spirits here?" I turned to the young physic medium.

"I sense a distortion in the house itself but I do not think spirits are the cause of it" she answered.

"Alright, I would like you to do another walkthrough just to make sure, when we are done setting up base, if you still do not sense anything we will see what the equipment will pick up in the morning." I stood up from the couch and walked towards the door, the others following me to help get the equipment.

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**Authors Note Continued:**

To be Continued….

Okay so the case has started with some interesting circumstances is anyone interested to know what will happen next. Do you like this case so far? Let me know. Like said above I got no negative responses on the contest so we will hold another one. Same point system as last time although this one will most likely end up branching outside of Ghost Hunt for a bit, because I think I just about covered all the Ghost Hunt Questions I can ask.

_Question: In Descendants of Darkness, How many episodes are there?_

_Bonus: Same anime different question, how many case files are there?_

-Serena122189


	16. Case File 3: I Just Want To Be Real P2

**Authors Notes:** Okay so here is another chapter, I hope you enjoy it. It took some time and planning to get everything set up right. I played around with several different ideas but here you go at last. I hope I chose the right ones and I hope you all like it.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt, and wishing did not work either, what is a girl to do.

_Answer to the Question: 13_

_Bonus Answer: 4_

_-Flashback—_

"_Alright, I would like you to do another walk through just to make sure, when we are done setting up base, if you still do not sense anything we will see what the equipment will pick up in the morning."_

_I stood up from the couch and walked towards the door, the others following me to help get the equipment._

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**Case File Three: I Just Want To Be Real Part Two**

Morning dawned early, after a late night of setting up equipment I was reluctant to crawl out of my warm bed. The room I was sharing with Ayako and Masako was decently sized. Three beds fit in the room with a little extra left over so we would not feel too crowded. We definitely fared better than the boys, who had to draw slots to see who would be sleeping on the couch. Our bedroom also had the delightful wonder of being connected to the upstairs bathroom as well.

Slowly I got out of bed, rummaging through my suitcase looking for a change of clothes. Settling on a pair, I grabbed my bag of toiletries and hit the shower. Thirty minutes later, I was refreshed and clean, tossing my nightclothes on the bed I used I headed down stairs. I had slept peacefully last night and felt more restful than I had in a while. Something about this house just brought me peace. After the sleep I got last night I felt that I could take on anything.

I was just about to enter the kitchen when I saw a brief flash of an object coming my way. I did not think I just acted throwing up one of my shields as the object slammed against it and then clattered harmlessly to the ground. Naru entered my field of vision picking up the pen from where it laid.

"Naru" I complained.

"Was that really necessary, so early in the morning"

Naru just gave me a look before walking back to the kitchen table "Tea Mai" was all he said.

A typical Naru order, but I let it go, I knew in a way it was just him caring for me. I had got into a lot of trouble during the last case. I placed the kettle on the stove before sitting down at the table. We were the only down here right now, everyone else was busy getting ready for the day.

"What are you doing anyways Naru," I asked him looking down at all the papers scattered across the kitchen table.

"I am reading, it is hard to do with you talking though" he quipped back.

"Well you don't have to be rude I was just asking, and I meant what were you reading anyway," I told him as I got up to pour the hot water from the kettle into a teapot so the tea could seep.

"Well if you don't like the answer don't ask ridicules questions. And if you want a specific answer then ask a specific question. I am reading the reports left here by Aomori-san" he responded back.

"Are you trying to get in a fight with me Naru, a simple answer would have worked." I told him setting a full teacup in front of him trying not to raise to the bait he was tossing at me..

**Naru's P.O.V**

I looked at the teacup she has sat in front of me, and then opened my mouth; I just could not resist needling her a bit more.

"I gave you a simple answer Mai it was you who told me it was not good enough." I reminded her.

I smirked a bit as I saw her take a deep breath to keep from exploding at me. If it had been any other time in my life I might of actually laughed at it, I just could not resist goading her. She was cute when she was miffed about something. The way her eyes would light up and her face would flush.

"That reminds me Mai, have you had any dreams?" I asked her, changing the subject before she could do anything.

When she shook her head negatively, I was surprised. This would be the first case where she had not had a dream apon the first night arriving here.

"Ah, I see, speaking of dreams I have a question…" I trailed off as John walked into the kitchen interrupting are conversation, I guess I would have to ask her later. After returning Johns greeting she opened her mouth probably to ask me what I was going to ask her about, but I waved her off.

"Later, I am going to go see if Lin noticed anything on the equipment from last night." I told her walking out of the room.

**Mai's P.O.V**

I just did not get him sometimes, if I did not know better I would say he liked to get me angry on purpose. I walked around to the refrigerator rummaging through it for something to eat while thinking. What had Naru waned to ask me about. He looked genuinely curious about something before John had walked in but then blew me off. It must not have been too important.

I settled down at the table an apple in my hand. After taking a few bites, Bou-san and Ayako walked into the kitchen to join John.

"Good Morning John, Mai did you two sleep okay last night" Bou-san asked.

"Yeah the bed was really comfortable I fell right asleep." I answered.

"No dreams Mai?" Ayako asked, I shook my head no.

"That's unusual the last case you had a dream the first night, maybe this house just isn't active" she mused aloud.

"Who knows," I said as I threw away my apple core, "I'm going to go see if Naru needs anything." I then walked out of the kitchen and headed upstairs back to base.

Once back in base I noticed Naru and Lin sitting in front of the monitors going over last night's footage.

"Did the equipment pick up anything?" I asked after both Lin and Naru turned away from the monitors.

"No, nothing, I suppose the spirit could just be really shy, or there could be nothing here. It could be something due to the geography of the house, maybe," he said looking at Lin-san after he uttered the last part.

I watched as he walked over to his notes and began going through them again.

"If you're not doing anything you can come make yourself useful and go over these reports." He pointed to an indicated stack of paper.

Sighing I walked over and picked up the indicated papers. They were old police reports dating back forty years or so. Sitting down I began to read one. It showed a picture of two little boys, a child sized doll sat between them.

The boys had light blond hair and blue eyes. The doll's hair was a short red black mixture it was wearing what looked to be some kind of baseball uniform a bat and glove laid next to it. In the background, you could see the house. Under the picture, there was a small caption. Ryan and Bryan Wilcox age seven.

I continued reading down to the report summary. Both boys were found dead in their bedrooms one Saturday morning when the parents went to check on them. The twins had been recorded to be severally ill since birth. The coroner report revealed that both the boys' hearts just finally gave out on them, the parents had just been about to move out when it happened. They were planning to move up to the mountains where they hoped the better air quality would do some good for their sons.

Slowly I put the report to the side, sadden they had died so young. It was really a shame when young children died.

The next file showed a young girl she had shoulder length black hair and chocolate brown eyes. She was sitting on the tree swing outside the house. The caption read Kagome Hegiras age twelve. Nearby a doll of some sort lay in the grass, the grass was high so you could not see much detail past the bright blue gown it was wearing, and its red gold hair shined in the sunlight.

The case summary stated that she had been found at the bottom of the swing she loved to swing on. Her neck broken, the rope of the swing had come loose it was concluded that she had tried to climb the tree to reattach the rope and had fallen. The impact snapped her neck and she had died. She was found lying in the grass when her parents had gotten home from work that day. It was a shame because they were about to move to Kyoto to be closer to an ailing aunt.

I put that one to the side, I remembered climbing trees a lot when I was a kid, I had even fallen for a few, I was lucky that I had not ended up like her. Still she had died young and it was really quite sad that all these children died in this house.

Another piece of paper this one had a picture of a cradle in it, the caption read Gabriella Montague 6 weeks old. She lay face down in her bedding, above he on a self was an assortment of toys. Stuffed bears, and in one case a doll a head of thick golden hair, and the brightest blue eyes ever seen.

The summary told me she had suffocated when her head turned in her sleep and buried itself in the bedding. The parents were moving to a smaller house, when it had happened. They laid her down for a nap, and went downstairs to pack, when they came pack up stairs they found her dead.

She had been the youngest yet.

Sighing I pushed the papers aside, I could barely make since of any of neither them nor a connection. I did not want to think of the cases with the dead children anymore. I could feel tears come to my eyes just thinking about the young lives that were lost.

I glanced up at the monitors to distract myself, and noticed Masako and Ayako out on the porch talking, John and Bou-san where down in the basement. They were trying to get a feel for spirits if any that were trapped in the house, or on the land surrounding it.

Behind me Naru stood stretching as Lin left the room saying he would be back. "Did you find anything interesting in the reports Mai" he asked.

"No, I could not find anything you?"

"I might have a clue but it will take some more looking into, about that question I was going to ask you earlier before John came in, I was wondering when you dream..." he trailed of sighing as Masako entered into the base.

"Never mind, Tea Mai," he said walking over to the stack of papers again.

What was with him this had been the second time he had done this to me, did he not think it was important or just did not want anyone else to know about it. When I had reentered the base with a fresh pot of tea, I walked in on Masako finishing her report.

"I do not sense any spirits here; I don't think that any exist, she proclaimed, "the deaths must have been nothing more than tragic accidents.

"That may be the case" Naru spoke, "but we will stay here one more day to be sure before closing the case if nothing happens after tomorrow night. Lin I want you to compile a list of everyone that has lived in this house, we will call and see which of them are willing to talk to us about their experiences tomorrow" he ordered as he turned back to his stack of papers slowly going thru them again pausing ever so often to make a note.

The day was quiet, nothing extraordinary happened in fact in such a peaceful atmosphere it was nice. If not just a little boring, finally it was time for bed. I moved to my bed, removed the doll that was sitting there pulled back the covers and climbed in. It was not until I was almost asleep that I remembered there had been no doll on my bed when I left my room this morning. Startled I leapt out of bed, waking both Masako and Ayako in the process as I snapped on the light and looked for the doll.

"Wh- Mai is something wrong did you have a dream," asked Ayako in a sleepy voice.

Ignoring her, I stared at the doll that was sitting against the wall where I had put it. It was a remarkable piece of artwork. It was about three feet in height, making it look more like a small child than a doll. Its hair a beautiful red color, purple ribbons decorated her hair bringing out the color of her eyes. She had a small dainty nose and pouty lips. She wore an elaborate ball gown that was also red in color.

"That doll was not in here earlier was it?" I asked both of them.

I waited as the rose from their beds and came over to look at what I was looking at. Both of them seemed equally curious to find it here. Both of them looked surprised so I took it as a no. I grabbed my housecoat out my bag and picked the doll up.

"I'm going to see if any of the boys put it in here." I said opening the door, and heading across the hall to the base. Apon entering I realized no one was there. Sighing I set the doll down in one of the chairs before turning to stare out the window overlooking the pond outside. I would just leave it here until morning and ask the guys later. I left firmly shutting the door to the base and walked back to our room. The light was already off, and both of them asleep. I must of taken longer than I thought. Shutting our bedroom door, I went over to climb back into bed, soon drifting off to sleep.

**Day 3: Thursday**

I awoke early that morning again. Got ready for the day and walked out of my room. Masako and Ayako were still sleeping. The door to the base was slightly ajar and I could hear a tapping noise. Figuring Naru and the others were up, I went down into the kitchen to make a pot of tea, and look for something or breakfast. Deciding I would make biscuits and bring some back upstairs for the others. Why I waited the ten minutes for them to cook, I started the dishwasher and whipped the cabinets. I had turned to grab a pot holder when I had caught something out of the corner of my eye.

Hesitantly I turned to make sure I was not seeing things. The doll from last night was sitting at the kitchen table, an empty plate and cup in front of it, a set of silverware laid next to the plate on a napkin. It face held a small mischievous smile as if it knew it had shocked me. The timer went off on the stove signaling the biscuits were done. Freaked out by the life-sized doll that appeared out of nowhere, I hurriedly pulled the biscuits out of the oven and put them on to the platter with the teapot and cups. I picked up the tray glancing once to make sure the doll was still there before hurrying out of the kitchen.

I tiptoed thru the living area John was still asleep on the couch, and up the stairs. I pushed the base room door open expecting to see Naru and Lin up. What surprised me was that the base was empty. Maybe they left to get something I mused setting the tray down on the table. One of the laptops where left on, so they could not have left long ago, they were always careful to shut them down if they left for too long, curious as to what they were working on so early in the morning I walked over to look at the monitor.

There was a single word document open. Its curser left blinking at the end of a single typed sentence. I am watching you, it read. Slowly with a feeling of dread I turned around, and sure enough, the doll was sitting at the table with the food a small napkin and cup sat in front of it, ever so slowly the head turned to look at me, its eyes meeting mine a smug smirk on its face. I could not take it anymore I screamed.

The sound caused the dolls head to snap back to the front, and it looked all the world like it was waiting to eat. My scream also caused the others to come into the room at a trot all of them bypassing the table with the doll and food without a second glance as them came over to me asking if I was okay and why I had screamed.

"The doll…" I stammered, "It wasn't there a minute ago, it wasn't there"

Ayako turned to the doll sitting at the table as if she had noticed it for the first time, "What do you mean it wasn't there Mai, you found it in our room and brought it in here last night." She said.

"Bu-but it was in the kitchen when I was down there just a few minutes ago and now it's here, how could it of moved it was in the kitchen."

"Slow down Mai, you're not making any sense start at the beginning please, the doll was in your room last night?" Naru asked patiently.

"It was on my bed last night, it wasn't there before. I had brought it into the base intent on asking if one of you knew anything about it. No one was in here so I left the doll sitting on a chair in front of the computer and went back to bed. I shut the door." I paused

"When I woke up this morning the door as ajar and I heard a typing noise coming from the base. I had thought it was just you or Lin-san up. So I went down to make breakfast. Only just as I was about to come up the doll was sitting in the kitchen chair down stairs, with a place setting in front of it. Scared and startled I grabbed the stuff and left it there to come up and tell you about it. Only no one was in here." I took a deep breath before continuing.

One of the computers was left on so I figured you had just left for a minute. I sat the stuff on the table, right there, and curious I walked over to the screen to see what you were working on so early in the morning. The words typed on the screen said I am watching you. When I turned, the doll was sitting there as it was now, except its head turned slowly and looked at me. I screamed, and it faced back forwards before all of you came in here." I explained, Lin turned to look at the computer screen, bringing it over to the group so they could all see the message typed on the screen.

Everyone then turned and stared at the life-sized doll. As if they could will it to move again. I on the other hand stayed far on the other side of the room as Bou-san walked over and picked it up to examine it, gone was the smug smirk, and back was the pleasant doll like face I had saw on it last night, just what was going on here.

* * *

**Authors Note Continued:**

To be Continued….

Well what do you think, did I do a good job. And what was that question Naru wanted to ask Mai. I guess you will just have to find out more in my next chapter, hope I haven't disappointed anyone so far.

_Question: How many chapters in this fan fiction currently?_

_Bonus: Who is this fan fiction dedicated to?  
Hint: Look in the AN's_

-Serena122189


	17. Case File 3: I Just Want To Be Real P3

**Authors Notes:** Hey guys another chapter your way. Thanks for all the reviews, and welcome to my few new readers. I also want to give all of you a heads up coming your way notice. Now I will remind you all again when it gets closer but just so you know. My family and I are going on a vacation August 26 thru the 29th and I am not sure how much writing I will get to do during that vacation. In addition, my college starts that Monday August 30 and it will be my first week back to hitting the book. I am sure many of you know how hectic that can be until you settle into your new schedule. It will not keep me from writing but that stretch will probably be your longest time between updates. To make up for it I will try to have an extra long and interesting chapter before I actually leave. I will also try to write during that time but no guarantees. Once everything settles down, I will be able to get back on a set writing schedule. So now, you have been warned in advance.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt, and I am running out of options to put after that fact.

_Answer to the Question: 16_

_Bonus Answer: Frieda, and my reviewers of course_

_-Flashback—_

_Everyone then turned and stared at the life-sized doll. As if they could will it to move again. I on the other hand stayed far on the other side of the room as Bou-san walked over and picked it up to examine it, gone was the smug smirk, and back was the pleasant doll like face I had saw on it last night, just what was going on here._

_

* * *

_

**Case File Three: I Just Want To Be Real Part Three**

"You're saying you found this thing last night and it moved Mai," Bou-san asked, when I nodded, he shrugged, handing it to Ayako when she walked up beside him.

"I don't sense anything now. Do you?" he asked as Ayako examined the doll, before shaking her head handing it to John.

"No, I can tell it was extremely well made though. John?"

"Nope I don't sense anything either," he handed it to Masako.

"Hara-san?"

"I sense nothing with the doll, it seems empty to me, are you sure you did not imagine it this morning?" she asked Mai, handing the doll to Naru when he held out his hand for it.

"No, I'm telling the truth, it moved," I exclaimed.

"Well dolls where originally used to house souls of the dead so we cannot rule out the possibility, it could be the spirit temporarily left the doll. Did any of you notice this doll in the house anywhere yesterday?" he asked the team.

Everyone shook their heads, "So that means it appeared last night but why…" he sat the doll down on the chair.

"Takigawa-san take this doll out and cleanse it just to be sure," Naru ordered.

"Sure thing Naru," Bou-san said picking up the doll and leaving the room.

I watched as Naru went over to the table with all the reports and pulled out four sheets of paper.

"John, Matsuzaki-san take these and call the numbers asking them the questions on the second sheet. Try and get as much information as they are willing to give you," he ordered handing them the papers.

"Mai" I jumped up when he said my name.

"Tea" of chores, when was it ever anything else. I left to go back down to the kitchen and make the tea.

I walked into the kitchen, glancing around for the doll even though I knew Bou-san had it, I could not help it. Having something appear out of the blue when you were not expecting it did that to people. The place setting was still on the table, but there was no sign of the child sized doll thing anywhere. Good, it could stay gone. I opened the pantry grabbing the tea, before realizing I had left the teapot upstairs.

Sighing, I set the kettle on the stove before going back to grab it. Once it was back in my possession back down stairs I went. I could hear the kettle start to whistle as I got into the kitchen. Outside I could barely see Bou-san standing beside the fire as he tossed the doll in.

I turned to the sink to rinse out the pot before adding fresh tealeaves and added the hot water from the kettle. While the tea seeped I looked out the window, the fire Bou-san had started was dying down now. Bou-san apon seeing me look outside flashed me a thumbs up signaling there was nothing left of the doll it had burned successfully.

Smiling and feeling relived to know the weird doll was gone; I headed back up stairs to the base. Pouring Naru his tea, I set the pot down on the trey from earlier, picking up one of the few remaining biscuits to eat.

A few minutes later Bou-san walked into base proclaiming the doll had been cleansed and that nothing of it remained.

"Mai" Naru called me over to the stacks of reports again.

"I want you to look through all these pictures and see if you can find in any on them the doll from this morning," he ordered dropping the stack of pictures from the reports in front of me.

"There must be a hundred of these Naru," I complained, but at his stern look, I sighed and began picking up the pictures.

Try as I might though I could not find my doll among any of the pictures I had been given. I had seen a few similar dolls but not the exact one. Sighing I pushed the stack aside.

"She's not in here Naru, none of these dolls match."

"None, of them Mai, are you sure?" he asked coming over to me.

"Yes, there were a few that kinda looked like her, but no exact matches." I told him.

"I see," he appeared lost in thought.

**Naru's P.O.V**

'_That's odd' _I thought.

'_I was sure there would be a picture of it somewhere after it appeared' _I looked through the reports as I tried to figure it out.

After the incident with the doll the day past peacefully, it was almost too easy. If the doll was the thing responsible, it should have appeared in more pictures of these reports, or been more difficult to get rid of. Instead, where all the pictures did have a doll in them, it was not the doll from his morning. Those other dolls could have just easily been child hood toys. The doll from this morning burned too easy for it to be a main conflict. So I was left grasping at loose straws trying to figure out this case. Maybe there simply was not a haunting going on.

The only thing that has not checked out was the geography of the house, but I had to wait on a few more scans to be sure of my conclusions in that area.

**Mai's P.O.V**

After an uneventful day of looking at monitors and checking equipment, I headed to my room. I had never gotten a chance to take a shower after that mornings fiasco with the creepy child sized doll thing so I figured I could catch one now before bed.

Grabbing my supplies and heading for the bathroom I quickly adjusted the showers temperature before jumping in and washing the day's grime and sweat from my body. Halfway through my shower I heard the bathroom door open, the connecting door led to our shared bedroom, and then shut. I figured I had forgotten to lock that door before getting in. They should have heard the shower though unless they just really needed to get something.

"Ayako? I asked trying to determine who had walked in here with me. Apon receiving no answer I tried again.

"Masako it that you? Did you need something?" still no answer, I was beginning to wonder if I had somehow imagined the door when I heard another sound this one closer to the tub.

"Alright who's there, this isn't funny anymore." It was silent again, freaked out and a little upset now, I pulled the shower curtain aside determined to see whom if anyone was there with me. The air was steamy from the shower as I looked around the room. From my position, I could tell that both doors where in the locked position.

'_That was strange maybe I did just imagine it. Come on Mai pull yourself together.'_ I told myself, about to close the curtain when another small sound drew my gaze downwards some.

What I saw caused my mouth to drop. I do not know how I had missed it earlier, but there standing in front of the tub with its arms raised as if it was waiting to be picked up was the doll from this morning.

Its pale creamy skin now sooty, and its hair had some dirt in it, but it was the same doll all right. On the toilet lid next to where I placed my clothes laid its soot stained dress and hair ribbons neatly placed next to mine. A small smile knowing smile was on its face as if it knew it scared me. I watched to frozen to move from the shower as its mouth slowly opened.

"I dirty mommy, pick me up, clean me please" it said in an eerily sweet child's voice.

It was then I suddenly remembered how to work my voice box and I screamed. Backing as far away from it as I could in the tub. My foot slipped backwards when I stepped back, and I felt myself falling. I hit the side of my head hard on the tub and then knew no more.

**Naru's P.O.V**

I was sitting in the base going over a few more notes before getting ready for bed myself when out of nowhere a high pitched scream echo's through the house.

'_Mai!'_ flashed through my head, as I quickly darted out the door to see what all the commotion was about.

I had just reached the bathroom door, Ayako already there trying to get the door open when there was a loud crash and the scream was cut off. There was nothing but the sound of running water now.

'_No…, No…, no… this can't happen to me again'_

I pushed Matsuzaki-san aside, banging on the door, "Mai! Mai! Answer me! Mai!" by now all the others had gathered at the door. All of them looked worried when there continued to be no answer.

"Mai answer me right now, or so help me I am breaking this door down" I warned.

When no answer continued to come, I backed up glaring at the door that separated me from the one other person I was starting to care for. I could not lose her. I could not. With a well-aimed powerful kick, the lock was no match and the door flew open.

The first thing I saw was that doll again, standing in front of the shower, its arms raised as if waiting to be picked up. The shower curtain was partially open; I could tell Mai must have opened it when she heard something. Angrily I strode into the bathroom grabbing that doll and tossing it behind me into the monk that was about to follow me in.

"Take care of that thing," I snarled.

Grabbing its clothes that also laid in the bathroom, I tossed them out as well. "John go with him, make sure not to let that thing leave your sight." I barked not wanting any of it near Mai.

After both of them left, I grabbed a towel, reaching behind the shower curtain I turned the water off, before opening it, I had enough presence of mind to drop the towel over her nude form that lay in the bottom of the tub. It looked like she had tried to get away from the doll and had slipped and fell.

I did not see any obvious injurers, so I carefully slid my arms up under her, and scooped her out of the tub, doing my best to keep her covered for modesties sake.

Turning around with the unconscious girl cradled securely in my arms I walked towards the door. It was only the fact that I could feel her steady breathing against me that kept me somewhat sane.

"Matsuzaki-san I think you are going to need your first aid kit." I told her; behind her, I could make out Masako who had brought up the corner of her kimono to hide her mouth.

I walked into the girl's room, and deposited Mai gently on the bed, before turning to leave.

"Lin" I said, and watched as he turned to leave with me.

After the door shut leaving the girls to deal with the unconscious Mai, and Lin to guard the door I walked back into the base room.

There sitting in one of the chairs all prim and proper, its clothes back on, and clean, as if nothing had happened sat the cause of all this.

"I thought you said you got rid of this" I told the Monk sitting across from the doll.

"It burned, there was nothing left but ash" was all he said, as he stared at the doll.

"Well obviously it did not burn as it is still here. Do any of you sense anything, anything at all."

**Mai's P.O.V**

_Mai's Dream_

_I was standing in a basement, when I opened my eyes. A dim light bulb the only source of light, for a minute I froze remembered the last nightmare I had when I was in a barely lit area. Behind me something brushed along my arm and I jumped._

"_Mai?" a familiar voice asked. It was Naru, or at least I think it was Naru, after the last case when I had my memories completely erased, I noticed some things I had not before._

_Like how Dream Naru's hair was longer and it was a slight shade lighter, so slight that on would not notice it at first glance. His tone of voice was slightly different as well. Since he was here however, this must be a dream, only I did not remember going to sleep. Oh well, I am sure it will resolve itself in time, who knows maybe I could get some answers while I was here. About both the case and Dream Naru, if he would answer my questions that is, if I could first figure out what to ask._

"_What are we doing here Naru?" I asked, he merely nodded his head towards the back of the room._

_There on the table was part of a doll. Apon closer inspection of my surroundings I noticed that there were doll pieces littered all over the basement. A tall gangly man picked up his tool to continue working on the doll. It was child sized I could see that from my distance. _

"_Why did you have to leave me after we moved here Mari?" he voice choked out as he worked on the doll. _

"_Don't worry; you will be alive again soon. Daddy will take care of you."It was then I noticed a picture hanging on the wall. It showed a little girl all about maybe four or five years old._

_She had sun golden hair, and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a matching hat and sundress sitting on a swing in the picture. I wondered if that was Mari, and if she had died. Slowly the scene was starting to fade. I knew I was probably going to be waking up soon. That means I did not have a lot of time to ask._

"_Hey Naru, why do you look so different in my dreams?" I asked him, for a moment his eyes lit up and he was about to say something, but I could feel myself beginning to wake up._

_I could make out his mouth moving but I could not hear the words, I frowned my face puzzled as I tried to make out what he was saying and then I was gone. _

_Mai's Dram Ends_

_**Gene's P.O.V**_

_My hear leapt for joy when I heard the one question I had been waiting for over a year to come from her lips. Why did I look different compared to my brother. I could of danced a jig at that very moment. _

_Regretfully before, I had a chance to answer her she had woken up, but I could always give her a hint when I next saw her. She was thinking at last, if I could just nudge her in the right direction now. I could finally be called by my own name, and even maybe, just maybe be able to talk to Noll again, by passing a message through Mai._

_I knew it was not as simple as telling her, I was restricted from that after all. Once she found out, I am sure there would be some heartache, form my idiotic scientist of a brother, but it would be worth it in the end._

**Mai's P.O.V**

I groaned as I woke up. My head throbbed as I tried to orientate myself with my surroundings. The last thing I could bring to mind right now is that I had been in the shower.

"Mai!" an excided voice I recognized as Ayakos said.

"How are you feeling?"

"I have a splitting headache," I moaned.

"What happened I remember being in the tub, and then…" I paused trying to recall what had happened.

When I did, I shot up, ignoring the slightly dizzy feeling that came over me, "The doll, it was in the bathroom and it…"

"Shhh, it is okay Mai the boys are watching it now, Naru was furious, he kicked the door down to get to you." She informed me why handing me a glass of water and some aspirin.

After I swallowed the pills, Ayako came over to me with a pen light in her hands, "Now I know you have a headache but come here Mai I need to see if you might have a concussion."

She asked me a few questions, before shining the light in my eyes to make sure they dilated properly, she then had me get up and walk around the room, and then jog in place for a few minutes.

"Alright, I don't think you have one, but you should take it easy for a day or so." Ayako said when she was toughly satisfied.

"Hey Ayako, can I ask you a question" I looked at her, I had been curious about something for a while now.

When she looked up at me, I asked, "How did I get from the bathroom here, and into night clothes?"

"Oh that" Ayako said.

"Well you see after Naru kicked in the door, he saw the doll and tossed it out ordering the Monk and John to go watch it. He looked pretty angry; he grabbed a towel, turned the shower off, and dropped it over you. After you were covered, he picked you up and brought you in here. After he left, Masako and I dried you off and changed you. She left a little while ago, saying she wanted to get something to eat. Lin-san has been standing outside the door this whole time on Naru's orders. Now that your awake now, he probably left to get Naru though," she told me.

My face turned bright red; Naru had carried me, while I was wrapped in noting but a towel, but…but… that would mean he had caught a glimpse of me naked before hand, he would have had to have to place a towel around me.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

* * *

**Authors Note Continued:**

To be Continued….

Okay so there you go another fine chapter I do say so myself. At least I think it is, I hoped you all liked it. Moreover, I hope to hear from you soon. Just what is with that doll, I'll answer that soon.

_Question: What is the Anime Kaze No Sigma about?_

_Bonus: Same anime, How many episodes are there?_

-Serena122189


	18. Dear Readers,

Dear Readers,

I am sorry I have yet to update, I have hit a small bump in the way. The dreaded writers block. I know the facts of the story and the ending, I know the Who's and the What's even the When's and the Where's but I have seemed to have misplaced my How's. They are currently hiding somewhere from me and I am trying in vain to locate them. Also I mentioned this in another chapter, My vacation is on Thursday, and all my attention is being focused on cleaning and packing. I will be gone until Sunday. I will be heading to the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine Texas. Then from there a quick jaunt up to Oklahoma for a day before returning home. (If you have a Great Wolf Lodge in your area, you could go. Seriously, look it up it is an awesome place. With an indoor water park, outdoor water park, spas for adults and kids. A cool interactive I spy type game for younger kids and teens. Restaurants, gift shop, swim shop, rentable kabanas, story time before bed for the younger kids, teen only dances for you teens, an arcade and much more.) And College starts that following Monday for me. I had promised to try to put a chapter up before I went, I am sorry that it looks like that is not going to be a possibility. Instead, I will try to write while I am traveling to my destination, and hopefully, I am keeping my fingers crossed on this have an extra long and juicy chapter after I get out of college on Monday. Which would be around 4:30ish. Until Then, and I am really sorry I hope I did not disappoint anyone, Goodbye.

P.S If you have any suggestions on something that can take place let me know, it would help with the writer's block, and the quicker I break it, the quicker I can post.

Thanks,

-Serena122189


	19. Case File 3: I Just Want To Be Real P4

**Authors Notes:** Okay first off I would like to apologize for the long update and the short chapter you are about to read, I haven't written a chapter this short in a while, but I am officially brain dead with the first week of schooling for me over. Yet I did not feel comfortable to leave you all hanging too much longer. You had already been waiting patiently enough as it is. I hope that I will have another chapter better than this next week. I am now going to find some mind numbing relaxing activity to do. My first two Chemistry Classes where no fun and now I have headaches remembering how to do conversions properly, I was never a math whiz. It would not be so hard if I did not have to learn that on top of a few other thing all relating to math in one big dose.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt…..Brain Dead…..Danger….Danger….Warning. (0.0)

_-Flashback—_

_My face turned bright red; Naru had carried me, while I was wrapped in noting but a towel, but…but… that would mean he had caught a glimpse of me naked before hand, he would have had to have to place a towel around me._

_Just then, there was a knock on the door._

**Case File Three: I Just Want To Be Real Part Four**

Ayako got up to open the door admitting Naru, Lin-san must of went and gotten him like she had predicted. Into the room he entered, Lin-san, John, Bou-san, and Masako.

"I see you have awakened Mai," Naru said by way of greeting.

I could hear the barely restrained anger in his voice, it cool tones having a slight undercurrent to them as he sat down on the bed his hands folded neatly in his lap.

"May I ask why you did not think of putting up one of your barriers I worked so hard in teaching you when you saw the doll, instead of hurting yourself by slipping in the tub?" He pinned me with his cool gaze.

"After all isn't that why I taught you that skill and worked with you at it until you perfected it. Don't put my training to waist next time, now what happened."

I hung my head down he was right, I had the means to protect myself both offensively and defensively, but I had been so surprised that it had slipped my mind; he had a right to be peeved at me.

"I was taking a shower when I heard I thought I heard the door open and shut. At first, I thought I had forgotten to lock it, and it was Ayako or Masako coming in to get something. When neither one of them answered I figured, they had already left, or I had imagined the door. That's when I heard another sound." I paused taking a deep breath studying my knees.

"I had pulled open the shower curtain to see who was there only to discover the doll. I rather freaked out when I saw it, and it opened its mouth and actually spoke to me asking me to pick it up and clean it, and calling me Mommy, that's when I screamed and slipped." It was quiet in the room as I finished my story.

"I see," was all Naru said.

"Wait there was something more; while I was unconscious I had a dream. I am not sure if this has anything to do with the case; I was in a basement, only there was as a doll maker's workshop set up in there instead of boxes. I saw a tall gangly man working on a child-sized doll. He was talking aloud, I am not sure if it was to himself or the doll he was working on. He was asking why Mari had to leave him. And not to worry she would be alive again soon, Daddy would take care of her. There was a picture of a little girl with blond hair and blue eyes sitting on a swing above his workbench. I think that little girl might have been Mari."

Naru seemed lost in thought as he absorbed this new piece of information. I grew quiet to let him think.

"I see, go to bed Mai, you are safe now, John said he has out a ward around the doll until we can figure out what to do with it. It shouldn't be going anywhere tonight." He then walked out of the bedroom, Lin-san giving me a small smile then following him.

Soon after they left Bou san and John did as well each bidding me a farewell before walking out. When there was no one else left I slumped back down in the bed, allowing my eyes to drift back to sleep.

**Day 4: Friday**

I awoke later than usual with a groan, I was not ready to get up and face the day yet, I had been poked and prodded twice during the night with Ayako checking on me just to make sure I was okay. It was only the fact that she did not think anything serious happened that kept me from being shipped to the hospital. It also meant I had to deal with her, doing this all through the night as a precaution though.

When I finally awoke, I looked around happy to not see that creepy doll anywhere in the room. I guess the ward worked. I proceeded to get ready for the day, and forwent the shower I was still too scared to go into the bathroom by myself again. I think I will start to get ready in the downstairs bathroom from now on.

When I walked into the base, I was met face to face with that creepy child doll thing. It was sitting against the wall the picture perfect image of innocence. At least that is what it would like us to think anyways.

Very slowly, it winked at me before becoming still once more. I quickly looked around the room to see if any of the others would have noticed it, but of course, I was not that lucky.

Why was this doll doing these thing, why only me. What was its interest?

Slowly I backed away from the thing and went to the other side of the room as far as I could get from that thing.

I sat at the table that had Naru's files spread out on it. As I sat, I could not help looking from the papers to the doll and back. It was then I noticed something interesting. Curious I gathered up all the photos and brought them over to me.

As I flipped through the pictures, repeatedly and again I noticed that every picture had a doll of some sort in it somewhere. There was not one picture where there was not. Out of curiosity, I flipped to the last picture and stared at it. The doll in this picture looked like the little girl in the picture from my dream.

I laid that one out on the table and noticed that it had the oldest date in the stack.

_This must have been the first death in the house._

That meant the stack must go from newest to oldest. As I laid them out in reverse order, oldest date first, to newest, I tried to see why the doll would be different in each picture. There had to be a reason of some sort.

I sat there staring at the pictures trying to figure it out.

"Mai Tea" Naru's voice called from where he was sitting over by his computer reviewing last night's tapes, I was so wrapped up in looking at the pictures that he had startled me slightly causing me to jump.

I jumped up to go and get his tea, in the process bumping the table causing some of the pictures to scatter. A little embarrassed I quickly moved to pick up the pictures that fell. As I picked up the last one, I realized that I had come face to face with the doll again; one of the pictures had somehow ended up way over there.

As I stared up at its face and tried to figure out how the picture I had just picked up had somehow managed to cross the room this far, I watched as it winked at me again. Its face then seemed to change and in a brief second, it resembled the doll in the picture I picked up before it was back to normal.

Blinking furiously wondering how in the world that was possible as I scrambled backwards from it.

The whole way down to the kitchen to make tea I tried to figure out if I had really seen what I thought I saw or not.

**Authors Note Continued:**

To be Continued….

Okay well since I cannot think of anything everyone will get a free ten points. I will have another update up as soon as humanly possible for me. Once again Sorry. OH

PS

If anyone out there that reads my fic also happens to be a beta reader and wouldn't mind becoming my beta reader and supporter please PM me.

-Serena122189


	20. Case File 3: I Just Want To Be Real P5

**Authors Notes:** Okay first off I would like to apologize for the long update and the short chapter you are about to read, I haven't written a chapter this short in a while, but I am officially brain dead with the first week of schooling for me over. Yet I did not feel comfortable to leave you all hanging too much longer. You had already been waiting patiently enough as it is. I hope that I will have another chapter better than this next week. I am now going to find some mind numbing relaxing activity to do. My first two Chemistry Classes where no fun and now I have headaches remembering how to do conversions properly, I was never a math whiz. It would not be so hard if I did not have to learn that on top of a few other thing all relating to math in one big dose.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt

_-Flashback—_

_The whole way down to the kitchen to make tea I tried to figure out if I had really seen what I thought I saw or not._

**Case File Three: I Just Want To Be Real Part Five**

Back in the base, I did my best to ignore the doll as I walked over to Naru and gave him the requested tea. Sitting down at the table, I worked on reorganizing the pictures. A few minutes later I got them all set up from oldest to newest again. Starting with the first picture, I took time to really examine the doll. She had sun gold hair and theses startling blue eyes. The girl in the picture had an assortment of ribbons at her feet. A picture right under it was a crime scene photo. It showed her lying in a puddle of blood. A knife nearby the expected culprit, her doll sat in a little doll chair in the background. _All right, that doll just looks creepy sitting there like that. I don't know why but it just does_. I read the report summery, police expected no foul play. The girl came from a loving family with no signs of trouble at home or school. Her fingerprints where the only ones on the blade, judging by the way she fell and the blade landed, it was thought that she needed the knife for some reason, and after achieving her goal tripped and fell on it. The little girl not knowing better then pulled the blade from the wound, probably, and she then bled out. Parents were both in the garden at the time, there was no way they could have heard the child's cry.

I put aside the photo trying to ignore the fact she had died young and picked up the next one. This doll had long jet-black hair and bright glittering green eyes that looked hauntingly familiar. This time I held the newer picture and the older of the two close to each other. I stopped trying to see and tried to feel the differences instead. The more I stared at the two photos the more I realized that the doll looked almost similar to the previous little girl. The more I stared the more I was almost sure of it. Wanting to be for certain I put down the first photo and picked up the third. This time I focused more on the previous child and current doll; this one looked like the last child as well. Now knowing what to look for I flipped through the stack. Each doll and child matched up. All the way, up to the current photo. I stared at the child that had my dolls face.

More than a little bit freaked out I glanced at the doll again who was looking at me. Then at the picture, then at the doll, and back, they matched up as well. I looked down at the table scattered with pictures grouped together and overlapping. I saw the distinction, I suddenly knew with a startling clarity why the dolls never looked the same. They changed, _that trick earlier, it had not just been me, and the doll did change._

"Neh, Naru?" I said getting up from my work. _This is great I will finally get to solve a case._ As Naru turned to look at me, I caught the doll over his shoulder it was frowning now as it looked at me. Clear disapproval written on its face, and a sudden chill ran down my spine. I swallowed hard and tried to ignore that fact.

"Naru" I repeated again nervously. "I think I figured something out, come here for a minute" Naru actually looked surprised at the fact that I thought I had found something. As if I didn't know how to think things through properly. Just that thought alone made me mad. I mean, just because I only got things right rarely does not mean that I could not get them right at all. As Naru walked over to the table and I motioned down to the overlapping pictures.

"If you look closely, the doll itself is actually the same, yet different doll. If you match up the current doll to the most recent dead child, they match. Almost identically," I finished quite proud of myself.

Naru bent over to examine the pictures, and as he looked, I could see that brain of his slowly and steadily ticking away as he compiled facts in his head. When he picked up the last and most recent picture, we both turned to stare at the doll again, or at least where the doll should have been, only it was not there. It had vanished….Slowly the room began to distort as if I was looking at the world between water that had been disturbed.

"Mai?…Mai!...MAI" and then the world went black.

**9:45 AM**

_Mai's Dream_

_I was back in the basement again I noted. Doll parts laid everywhere on the ground, and scattered across various tables. The gangly man was not present now though. I took the opportunity to look around. As I examined the room I noticed that it looked a lot dirtier than the last time I saw it, even the photo was aged and worn. It was obvious that quite some time had passed. A good few years at least, just then the door opened. 'Strange Dream Naru is not here yet.' The gangly man from before walked down the stairs and in his hands was a spitting image of the girl in the picture. "Just one more stitch, one more and then you will be….ahhhhh." the man tumbled down the stairs striking his head on the edge of a table when he landed. Blood pooled out darkening the floor where he laid. It continued to spread until it reached the doll itself, coating it completely._

_Dream End_

I groaned as I started to wake up, my eyes feeling heavy and my body not wanting to corporate. It just took too much energy, energy I did not have.

"Mai!" an excited voice that sounded like Ayako exclaimed. _Wow talk about déjà vu _I thought as I tried to will myself back into the present. Slowly I opened my eyes and blinked a few times to help focus them.

"Wha-" I coughed my throat a bit dry. Ayako handed me a glass of water which a gulped down thankfully before clearing my throat and trying again. "What's with all of the excitement?" I asked when I was able to form words again.

"You have been out of it for at least a day. You fainted after the doll was found to be missing. Naru had us move you from the house and to all kinds of cleansings on it, and search for the doll. We did not find the doll anywhere, but after your break through with the pictures, Naru was at least able to expel it from the house. We later found it under the tree. It was burned again and there is no sign of it anywhere. I was ordered to stay here with you until you awoke. We are back at your apartment." I looked around and sure enough, we were back in my apartment all right.

I sat there and struggled to put two and two together, if the case was solved, why was I still having dreams? It did not make since to me. "Was Naru mad?"

"No actually he looked quite concerned about you. He did not want you in the house f the doll was targeting you that's why he had me bring you back home." _Naru concerned? That does not seem like the Naru I know_. I opened my mouth to press her for more details when she beat me to the punch.

"Mai you wouldn't mind now that you're awake, if I step out to the store for a moment. I will only be gone a few minutes?"

"No I guess not," I said a little dazed still at the moment. Something about all of this just was not clicking right for me, and I was trying to figure out why.

"Alright, good then I will only be a few minutes, take care not to move around too much right away until I get back you still seem kinda out of it."

As Ayako left, it got quiet in the house. _Why would Naru have Ayako take me home instead of a hospital if I fainted? And what is with the dream if the case is solved. And what was that!_ A loud thump came from under the bed.

THUMP! _There it goes again. _

SCRATCH, SCRATCH SCRATCH THUMP!

_Oh please, please let it not be what I think it is. _Slowly I pulled back the covers away from the edges of the bed. The noise had stopped now. Very cautiously, I peered over the edge and looked down. Sure enough, there was the dolls head, its body partially under the bed, and out in the open. Slowly oh so slowly the head began to turn around, until it was at an unnatural angle. Blood streamed all down its face staining the hair, and clothing. I was to frozen to do anything but watch as it open its mouth, revealing a set of razor sharp teeth. "Mommy should not run from baby," it said in this horrible high-pitched singsong voice. Instinctively I reached for the power I had within me to throw up a barrier between it, and me as the doll continued to wiggle its way out from under my bed. Only to my horror the barrier did not form like it normally did. The doll now free stood up and reached for me. "It's okay, mommy, we will be together, forever, and ever, and ever when I am done. You can be me and I can be you!" the doll lunged. The weight of it was enough to knock me back and off of the bed, as it pushed me, and I also tried to get away from it. I collided painfully to the floor. There was a flash of silver and it was then I realized the doll had some type of knife in its hand.

_Mai…_A voice called from a distance as I tried to fight the doll off me. It sounded a lot like Naru's voice. Relived I called out. "Naru Help Me"

_Mai…Mai you need to come back now…_ "Come back where have I went, Naru" I said between gasps as I tried to get away from the doll that now not only seemed to have grown heavier, but longer arms as well.

_Stop fighting Mai…snap out of it…_my room began to distort again and the colors swirled making me almost sick to my stomach. When the room came back into focus, my surroundings changed once again. I was on the floor in the base in front of the barrier where the doll was. Pictures were scattered all over the floor. As I shifted trying to make heads or tails out of what was going on, I realized that someone was holding me down.

"Mai" Naru's voice appeared again. It was then I realized he was the one holding me down, and at the same time doing his best to pull me away from the barrier.

"N-Naru?" I said confused as I stopped struggling to move and let him pull me back all the way to the other side of the room and then proceed to put himself between me and the doll.

"Are you back with us now Mai?" he said why examining me. Behind him all the others were looking at me worriedly as well.

"Yeah, I think? What just happened" I said still confused.

"We were hoping you would tell us that Mai, you came in sat at the table for a bit. Got up and walked over to the doll. You were almost through the barrier before Naru stopped you. We couldn't get you to wake up." Bou-san said.

"I – BOU-san LOOK OUT"

**Authors Note Continued:**

To be Continued….

Alright this chapter although long in coming and short as it is, will hopefully be enough to re-kindle appetites. I will have to go back and re-read the previous cases to get a better grasp on where I was heading with this. Should take a day to read them, and then I will be back on track. I promise not to leave you hanging again for quite a while if at all again. This time I really mean it too.

-Serena122189


	21. Case File 3: I Just Want To Be Real P6

**Authors Notes:** For once at the moment I have nothing to say lol.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt

_-Flashback—_

"_I – BOU-san LOOK OUT"._

**Case File Three: I Just Want To Be Real Part Six**

Just as I screamed the warning, a huge metal pole came smashing down on the back of Bou-sans head, the doll had escaped. Somehow it had not only gotten free of the barrier, but it had managed to pick up one of the spare shelving poles and swing it with enough force to down the huge monk, who was currently lying on the floor moaning. Ayako immediately fell to her knees to check the monk why John stepped forwards. "Our Father in Heaven" he began his prayer while fumbling for his vile of holy water. The doll turned and swung the pole at him, only to miss just barely when Lin whistled for his shikki, and the glowing balls pushed the doll back. Startled at the near miss though John stumbled backwards dropping his vile to the floor where it shattered. By this time, Ayako had pulled Bou-san aside and stepped in to try to do something about it while it was distracted by Lin's shikki. "Rin-"before she could get out the rest of the incantation the doll threw the poll causing Ayako to dodge it and cutting off the nine cuts incantation. In throwing the poll though, it was not able to dodge the shikki in return. With an unearthly scream, it was ripped apart until nothing but small plastic bits remained. This caused everyone to sigh in relief as they went to check on their downed friend. Well everyone but Naru and Lin anyways who walked over to examine and gather the pieces of the doll.

"Bou-san are you okay" I asked in concern when he opened his eyes.

"Yeah I am fine, but did anyone get the number of that subway bus that hit me I want to sue." He said in a joking matter why rubbing the back of his head.

"That's strange" the voice was Naru's. When I turned to look at him, I noticed he had all the pieces gathered up and laying on the table. When I walked over to see what was wrong, confident now that Bou-san was okay, I noticed that I was wrong. He had almost gathered up all the pieces, it seemed that he was missing the hand of the doll, it was then I began to feel something tickling on my back.

"Aieeeeeeee" I screamed, trying to reach behind me to brush whatever it was off. With a thunk my hand connected with the object and the dolls hand fell on the floor. Scared now I backed away as the hand twitched and started moving towards me. The other pieces on the table began to twitch and move as well, causing both Naru and Lin-san to hurriedly back away from the animated pieces as one by one they rolled on to the floor, the head being last of all came rolling until its head faced me. "Mama" its childish voice called. Terrified now I finally threw up a shield between me and the doll as it began to reassemble itself. Once it was whole, again it stood up and began walking towards me.

"Mai" Bou-san having recovered enough yelled as he snapped out of his daze and stumbled back up to his feet. By then the doll had came up to the barrier. "Mama bye bye" its voice changed as it began pushing through my shield much like it did the barrier it was surrounded by. Truly scared now I backed to the edge of the shield as the doll began to bleed, the red blood pooling on the floor as it seeped from the dolls eyes. Seeing, as the shield was not helping, I dropped it so I could back away from the doll.

"Naumaku san manda bazaradan kan" Bou-san screamed appearing before the doll that seemed to freeze at the incantation. Encouraged he continued. "Naumaku san manda bazaradan, Sendamakaro shatta sowataya un taratea, kan man Namuaku san manda botara onboron On sunaba un bazara un hatta. By now, the doll began to shake and let out this unearthly wailing sound. "Naumari saba tataki ya tei biyari Saraba mottei biyari, saraba ta Taraku!" he shouted finishing the incantation, as his voice died off the screaming also stopped and the doll toppled over.

"Is it finally gone?" I squeaked still staring at the doll nervously afraid to move any closer to it, while thinking _When I get home I am going to box up that porcelain doll my friend from school gave me and give it away._

"I think so" Bou-san said, "But we should burn the doll and dump the ashes in a clear fast moving river just to be sure. When no one moved to do what he said, he rolled his eyes "I'll do it, but I'll need some help John?" the priest nodded his head and went over to the monk. Then all of a sudden a bright light filled the room causing everyone to squint before it died down. There before us stood the man from my dream.

"Thank-you" he said, "I had become trapped in that doll after I had died falling down the stairs. I was not the one doing the killing, but when I died somehow some type of other spirit got trapped in there with me, one that liked blood," he paused, "I did not want to hurt anyone, but I was not always in control. I tried to tell your girl there, but she did not get enough time to warn you. The doll liked to change its appearance to keep everything secret, the more it killed the stronger it got." Then with a flash, he disappeared, leaving us all blinking in surprise.

"Uhh, okay" I said and like a spell that had been broken the others started to move again.

"Let's get to packing up base, Lin, Mai. Ms Hara-san please call the owners and tell them that the house has been solved and John, Takigawa-san take care of the doll."

"That's really it" I exclaimed surprised, making Ayako glare at me.

"It looks like it Mai, I thought even you could tell that."

"Naru!" I shouted, and the base broke out into giggles.

**Authors Note Continued:**

To be Continued…. I guess

So I know it was short and probably ended differently than you thought. Honestly though I could not remember where I was going with this story originally, I know I know it is my fault. Therefore, I ended it early before I started to ramble and things not make since. I can continue the series if enough people are interested in me too. Just let me know.

-Serena122189


End file.
